


Marriage is Just a Piece of Paper

by Shelookstothesky



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Arranged Marriage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Headcanon, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Language, Marital Issues, Minor Violence, Past Sexual Abuse, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-03-08 16:27:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 162,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13462062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shelookstothesky/pseuds/Shelookstothesky
Summary: I just want to write a decent Kaiba fic. Using an old concept from childhood. With a really beloved character, I developed.An arranged married between Seto Kaiba and some wealthy Westerner. Will the marriage work out?  I dunno, we're going to see how it works out people.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Scarletbelle87](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarletbelle87/gifts).



> Hi guys! I've waited FOREVER to post my story here. Since I was a little kid I had my OCs paired up with characters. My character Cam is actually the first OC I ever made. And she has at least 4 plots of her own with similar but different outcomes. When I was like seven. I had Cam paired up Kaiba in an arranged marriage. Since I was young I didn't put too much thought or effort into it. Though now, getting back into the fandom and reading a ton of fun fics I wanted to come back and retry Cam into this plot once more. Hope you enjoy! :)
> 
> \- Jess <3

It was a little past 10 pm when the front door to the Kaiba Mansion opened. Seto's tall frame appeared in the doorway as he placed his metal satchel down by the coat rack. He bent down and took off his shoes neatly set them down on the mat along with the variety of other dress shoes that were lined up. One pair was tiny woman's pumps. Seto picked his satchel back up. Once his back was straightened he headed out of the mudroom and stopped midway, from turning to the staircase. Instead of heading upstairs and up to his office he made a U-turn towards the dining room seeing that the light was on. Once he entered the room he was greeted by a woman seated at the head of the large dining room table. The chair that Seto normally claimed at meal times. She was small in stature, both short and petite frame. Her hair was light brown and long, hitting the middle of her back with shaggy bangs shaping her face. Skin naturally tanned and gold eyes looking downward at the tablet as she tapped away at the screen using her finger.

"You ignored my phone call. Again," The end of her sentence almost a hiss as she kept her eyes on the screen.

Seto didn't respond, looking over the dining room table that was dressed fancy. With decorative folded napkins and three courses spread out over the lacey tablecloth and covered up by plates to keep warm. A cup of tea was set by the woman at the head chair. Noticing that his younger brother was not in his typical seat at the table he subconsciously worried.

"Where's Mokuba?" His deep voice questioned her dryly, stepping forward and setting his satchel down at a blank space of the table.

She shot her eyes away from the tablet, setting it down on top of the table. "Did you hear me?" Her tone became more aggressive.

"Cameron, you know I have work to attend to after hours. Stop acting like a child," He scoffed at her and opened the Satchel and took out a handful of paperwork, skimming through the first few pages.

She glared at him, standing up from her seat revealing her pajamas that consisted of one of Seto's t-shirts that fell to her mid-thigh like a dress. Only standing at 5'3 the height difference between the two was almost a joke. "I requested that we ate together at least two days a week. And you haven't done that!"

"I have," He kept his voice calm but stern trying to counteract her aggression.

"No, you haven't Seto! Only once! For a few minutes!" There was an annoying whine to her tone. It aggravated him.

"Where's Mokuba?" He asked again, briefly reading through a contract that was signed early in the day.

"He's somewhere in Sapporo! How should I know!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

Seto looked up at her coldly as a frown curved his mouth, looking away from the documents. "I told him he couldn't go. He has a meeting to attend to tomorrow afternoon in--"

"He's a 20-year-old man Seto. Stop acting like he's a little boy," Cameron rolled her eyes.

"I don't care how old he is. He still works for me and as his boss, I told him he has to attend a very important meeting," He closed his eyes and shook his head plopping the papers down in his satchel. "You know that's just a drinking event! Why did you let him go!" He squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"What part of Mokuba being a grown man do you not understand?" She kept her defensive stance.

"I know how you are! You convinced him to go just to spite me!" He growled lowly, slamming his satchel shut and locked it.

"To spite you!" She almost laughed, covering her mouth. "Do you think I'd bust my ass to cook this meal just to start a fight with you? Besides, has Mokuba ever disregarded orders that pertained to Kaiba Corp before? He's responsible enough. He should be home by tomorrow morning at least."

"You cooked all this food?" He scanned over the spread again in suspicion, hand placed on top of the satchel now.

"Making Salad and Brisket isn't rocket science you know," She sneered at him with dull eyes.

Contemplating a moment, his hardened exterior softened a bit at the thoughtfulness. "If you told me you cooked dinner I would have come home earlier," He spoke gentler in almost a mumble.

"It shouldn't matter if I ordered takeout for us! You're very inconsiderate!" Her voice pitched again in anger as she started to storm out of the room. He quickly grabbed onto her wrist and turned her to face him.

"I apologize," He said harshly, letting go of her arm when she snatched it back.

"I don't want to hear that!" She spat, eyeing him upwardly with a glare. "I'm trying to make this marriage work! All you do is complain about how I don't act proper enough! And how I should work harder on understanding the business! Why on God's holy earth should I do such things?"

His deep blue eyes narrowed down at her, trying to control his temper knowing that his hostility would only set her off even more. "Cameron, I said I apologize. Calm yourself and sit back down. Let's eat together. Alright?" He tried to coax her back to the table.

"I don't accept your apologies! The food is ice cold!" She snapped again, turning sharply and leaving the dining room.

He sighed silently, following behind her and stopped at the threshold. "And what do you suppose we do with all this wasted food?" He asked her.

Without turning around she answered. "You figure it out!" She disappeared down the long hallway, the end of her hair swishing behind her.

\--

After an hour or so had passed. Seto kept the spread covered for the help to put away tomorrow morning. He had texted Mokuba to check up on his well being and whether he'd be home in time for tomorrow afternoon. Getting a satisfying answer back from the younger Kaiba. Seto left the manor momentarily and came back with a convenience bag in hand. He headed to Cameron's usual hideout spot to sulk. In her original sleeping quarters when she first arrived at the Kaiba estate after their wedding a few months back. It was on the same wing close to Seto's bedroom and home office. So they could be close but also have enough space until they were ready to conjoin sleeping arrangements. Which only happened about a couple of times since then and unlike what the media would like to believe both times they shared a bed no intimacy took place.

Seto stood in front of her door and knocked. He had dressed down before leaving the mansion, changing into his typical workout outfit of a white tee and baggy gray jogging sweats. Before he could give a second knock her voice echoed through the door.

"Go away, Seto!"

Without warning he cracked open the door, peering in at her. The small woman was curled up on her large bed with a patterned quilt covering part of legs. The comforter was one that she had once previous. When she moved into the manor Cameron had insisted on bringing her own items. Most of the things in the room she had brought with her from her family's home before they had married. She laid on her side with a book open. It was one of the marketing books Mokuba had lent her. Seto was pleased by this.

"Have you eaten dinner tonight?" He asked, calmly.

"No," She grumbled, rolling over on her belly and flipped a page of the book.

He pushed the door open fully as he stepped into her room, the convenience bag swung in his hand. "Come eat," He watched her carefully.

She shot her head up and stared at him with a raised brow. Taking notice of the plastic bag in his hand she slowly sat up having her plaid shorts show as the oversized shirt rode up. "What is that?"

"Bentos. I also bought those custard steamed buns you seem to like so much," He answered factually.

With an eye roll, Cameron laid back down on her belly and leafed through the marketing book again. Seto's eyes narrowed at her in annoyance.

"It's unhealthy to skip meals. You should be watching your weight. Especially if you want to conceive."

"Conceive? Pftt--Why the hell would I want to lay down with a man who has no consideration and makes no effort in caring for his so-called wife?" She shot him a dirty look, quickly looking back down at the text.

He shot her the same dirty look back. "Stop being difficult and eat!" He ordered her, finally raising his voice as he was fed up with her pompous attitude.

"Will you eat with me?" She glanced up at him again, this time with soft eyes.

"Of course I'll eat with you. That's what you were fussing about earlier weren't you?" He sneered.

Without a word, she slammed the book shut and slowly got up from the bed and strolled over to him and held his hand.

"Fine, if you insist," She cooed at him mockingly and pulled him gently out of her bedroom. He held his hand out limply, tired of her nonsense. He let her pull him downstairs and into the smaller game room. When she released her grip from his hand Cameron walked towards the flat screen that was set up with three different game consoles which all, of course, were sponsored by Kaiba Corp. She picked up the biggest remote that had blue tape on it that was put on by Mokuba to remind her which remote was the correct one to use for basic cable. She turned on the TV and changed the channel to an American movie Seto wasn't very interested in. Ferris Bueller's Day Off was playing on the screen.

"Wouldn't you rather eat your meal properly like in the kitchen?" He asked watching her unimpressed. Cameron took the bag from him and started setting the bento boxes down on the glass coffee table along with the forks and chopsticks.

"You got me a fork? Trying to make fun of me because I'm Western Seto?" She smirked over at him and sat criss-cross on the couch.

"Not exactly. Don't you prefer a fork over chopsticks?" He asked, sitting next to her and crossed his leg.

"I guess I do. But you don't have to get me one," She said, looking over the bentos and popped the lid off the one that contained chicken knowing that he had choose that for her. And then opened the other one that was clearly his and set it down in front of him. She picked up a pair of chopsticks and broke them apart as she started mixing her rice and vegetables together. Seto watched her intently for a moment before pulling his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his media feed.

"Seto! We all agreed on no technology at mealtimes!" She glared at him, swatting at his arm.

With his signature icy stare, he bit his tongue and slipped his phone back in his pocket and picked up his bento as she pressed a piece of soggy spinach to his lips. He opened his mouth and accepted the food offering as he chewed. Not being very fond of being fed but to keep her temperament settled he played along.

"Why are you so robotic?" She asked sincerely, taking a few nibbled of her rice.

"Don't you ever get tired of being so argumentative?" He picked at his own bento which contained beef and vegetables.

"I'm not argumentative. I'm being serious. It seems like everything you do is robotic," She offered him a piece of chicken.

He turned his face away, declining her offer. "I've been being very liberal with you Cameron. Do you think I tolerate your kind of behavior with just anybody?" He said, tone becoming harsh.

"Then why do you tolerate my behavior, Seto?" She set her bento in her lap, eating the piece of chicken.

"Because you're my wife," He stated as fact.

"That's what I mean! You only do things manually. Never by heart," She frowned, picking up a napkin and wiping her mouth.

"How dare you make assumptions just because you're insecure--"

"I'm not insecure you ass!" She snapped. "You must realize how you are! When you're not being sarcastic you're being robotic! Why are you so tense all the time? Do you not trust me?" She made eye-contact with his sharp stare.

"If I didn't trust you. I wouldn't have agreed to marry you. You wouldn't be living in my house. I wouldn't be training you for my business. Stop being insecure," He repeated his previous statement.

"Hold me," She ordered with a pout.

"What? Finish your food first," He told her firmly, continuing to pick at his bento.

"I want to feel like you didn't just marry me just for my family's high money stocks," She plopped her unfinished bento onto the coffee table and crawled closer to him and curled to his side and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He held his bento up in the air, holding his chopsticks up in the other hand. "What are you doing?" He asked gruffly, staring down at her with disapproval.

She nuzzled her face into the fabric of his shirt. "You're my husband I want to feel close to you!"

His body stiffened, feeling her warmth even more now. He set his bento down next to hers as he awkwardly pulled her up having her release the hold she had on his waist. He settled her partially in his lap with her legs sprawled out on the couch and torso close to his as he wrapped his arms around her waist loosely. She rested her head on his chest as she rubbed her hand up his side lovingly. Not being used to physical human contact Seto shuddered on the inside, but on outside he kept composure causing him to tighten the grip on her. She turned her eyes up at him with a smile.

"Thank you," She practically purred, squishing her cheek to his chest.

Looking down at her with a stone face he answered coolly. "You're welcome."

"Hey Bro! Cam!" A familiar voice was heard along with shuffling from footsteps in the hallway as Mokuba appeared in the room. He jiggled his car keys in hand while wearing a white dress shirt with the top buttons undone and black slacks."I'm home!" He announced to the couple with a grin once he saw their current position.

"You two look really uncomfortable!" He let out a loud laugh.

With that being said Seto completely released Cameron having her sit up straight, still partially in his lap as the rest of her body was snug up against the couch cushions.

"Did you tell Mokuba to come home early!" She scolded.

Before Seto could answer Mokuba chimed in. "Nah, I came home earlier on my own," He lied to cover for his older brother, knowing very well that he did come home on Seto's accord.

Seto smirked at Mokuba, glancing over at him as he slipped off the couch and stood. "Instead of accusing. Finish your meal," He walked towards Mokuba, playfully squeezing his brothers shoulders tightly as he motioned him to leave the room with him.

"You're a lifesaver kid," He whispered in the younger Kaiba's hear as they scrolled out of the game room. Cameron watched from over the couch with a frown, being left alone with the movie still playing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My chapter lengths are very inconsistent because I write them in whatever order the scene between the characters seems to end. I'm also one of those fans that likes to believe that Kaiba has some physical scars from his good ole step daddy!
> 
> Enjoy!~

It was past 1 am when Cameron found herself wandering the upstairs halls of the Kaiba Mansion with her personal pillow under her arm. A week had passed since the dinner incident. Which to Seto's credit he had started making an effort to sit down and enjoy a meal with her, staying longer if Mokuba was present too. Mealtime was really the only time she saw her husband other than the occasional encounters when the older Kaiba could spare some quality time with her. Cameron knew she couldn't complain completely, knowing damn well that this is what she signed up for when she was assigned to this marriage. Seto Kaiba was the most powerful and wealthiest men in Japan, one of the most popular men in the world. And despite the certain charm he gave off he was also very erratic and aloof. And she had gotten used to his moodiness for the most part. But it didn't stop her from trying to get closer to the man. She automatically headed towards his office, stopping in her tracks once she saw the office door open with no Seto to be seen. Being taken back by the fact that her husband wasn't in his usual spot she had no choice than to head to the next best thing which was his bedroom. She turned and headed back, getting to his door she didn't bother knocking seeing that the light off. She gingerly opened the door and stepped into the dark room. When she approached the bed she couldn't help but smile, seeing her husband's sleeping form was almost surreal. Unlike his waking from which as threatening Seto looked so much at peace in his sleep. Dare I say almost gentle?

"Seto?" She whispered, stepping closer to the side of the bed he was laying on and she placed a hand on his arm. The sudden touch caused the young CEO to shoot his eyes open with what sounded like a wheezing gasp escaping his mouth. The jerk reaction caused Cameron to step back in shock as Seto shoved the covers off his body and turned to the side of the bed, feet touching the floor. He was white as a ghost and in a cold sweat. His pupils small from anxiety as he sat in the dark, focusing on the present situation. His eyes darted to the petite stature of his wife.

"Don't fucking do that!" He snapped, standing up from the bed and pushed past Cameron to head to the bathroom, pulling at her wrist and tossed her aside causing her stumble back onto his bed. The stream of light shined from the bathroom laying on Cameron's face making her squint. She sat on her knees, staring over at her husband's muscular build. Seto was shirtless only wearing pinstriped pajama bottoms. The water could be heard running. When he bent down to splash water over onto his face is when Cameron got a good view of the cluster of scars that covered most of her husband's back. They were old scars, faded from age. It wasn't her first time seeing them, she remembered being surprised witnessing the marking the time they and Mokuba went swimming in the indoor pool. The younger Kaiba made no explanation to the scars. Which was an indication that it was the topic was not to be spoken of. Once it seemed like Seto gained his composure back Cameron finally spoke.

"I'm sorry. I went to go see if you fell asleep in your office. You weren't there so I came here," She explained almost in a whisper.

Seto listened to his wife speak, as he dried his face with a cloth that hung on the wall of the bathroom. He hung it back up and stepped out of the bathroom, turning the light on in the bedroom. He glanced down at her pillow she dropped on the floor when he frightened her. He bent down and picked it up.

Her gaze watched his every move. "I'm sorry if I scared you--"

"You didn't scare me," He interjected harshly, setting the pillow in her lap as he sat down beside her and brushed his fingers through his bangs that were now damp.

She nodded, hugging her pillow to her chest. "Did you have a nightmare?" She rested her chin on top of the pillow.

He hesitated to answer, closing his eyes. "I guess you can call it that," He opened his eyes again, flashing her his cool stare. She gave him an uncertain smile. Knowing he had a pro poker-face.

"I wanted to come lay with you. I feel like I haven't seen you in awhile," She kept her voice hushed.

"We saw each other this morning. And I called you this afternoon," His answer was like clockwork. Almost programmed on what to say. His robotic tendencies showing clearly.

She shrugged in response, scooting closer to him and laid her head on his upper arm. The bottom pieces of her hair brushed against his skin. He was still clammy from early. His muscles tensed at her touch.

"You're wearing the nightgown I bought you," He gave a half smirk scanning over the baby blue nightie that draped over her slender frame. It wasn't a risque garment. It was a cotton material with a white lace design on the collar and bottom fridge.

"What can I say? I wanted to feel close to you," She reached over as he let her hold his hand, intertwining fingers with hers as his arm rested on his knee.

"Next time when you want to share my room. Decide ahead of time," He told her firmly. She gave his hand a loving squeeze. He rubbed his thumb into her palm to return the gesture.

"I will," She gave him an obedient look before pulling her hand away and slipping under the covers, laying her pillow down.

He watched her with tired eyes, knowing the exact game she was trying to play with him and he knew that her temperament would change by morning. He laid down with her as he turned on his side and stretched his arm out to hold her.

"You're a very manipulative girl aren't you?" He said smugly as he ran his thumb across her lips.

She laid beside him, close to his chest and grabbed onto his wrist, hugging his arm to her chest. "How? I'm just being honest," She smiled faintly as he slipped his arm away and draped it over her side.

"By tomorrow you'll be calling me a brute and tell me that you'd rather be married to a corpse of a horse," He repeated her words from the beginning of the week.

Cameron giggled quietly, curling her body to press closer to his. "A dead horse can't talk back."

He felt her lips press against his collarbone. He swiftly moved his hand away from her side and grabbed onto her chin gently to lift her face up and pecked her lips.

"I'll rethink letting you in my bedroom next time then," He kissed again before letting go.

She fluttered her eyes open once he pulled away. "You will reconsider if I'm wearing clothing you've given me," She cooed, tugging at his wrist to pull him close to kiss again.

He pulled away from her grip, pressing his palm to the middle of her back and shifted his body weight on top of her keeping himself elevated above her as he kissed again. A content sigh escaped her mouth, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissed back multiple times. With half-lidded eyes Seto eased into the kiss and slowly deepened it, holding onto her side and ran his hand down the curve of her bodyline. She opened her mouth wider for him to have better access, enjoying the sensation and warm from his tongue. Her hands found their way up to the nape of his neck. Disliking the pressure on the back of his neck he slowly broke the kiss and took hold her hands, pressing them to her chest.

"Manipulative girls do not get to touch," He played it off coolly with a smirk.

She looked at him tenderly. "I'll be good," She played along.

"Not by tomorrow you won't," He lowered his face down and kissed her neck before pulling his body away and laying back next to her. She soon followed, rolling back onto her side and pressed close to his chest. He rested a hand on her back. The time slowly passed with Cameron's eyes growing heavy as she wished her husband could always be this relaxed every day before she drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I'm not gonna lie. I really love writing with an angry Cam. (I love writing fight scenes in general?) Anyway, I'm a big fan of taking concepts of Kaiba from all angles. I actually really love his Death-T saga. I take elements from different storylines of characters. And in this instance, Kaiba did push Gozaburo out the window in the manga. While in the anime the old man just offed himself. I'll let you readers decide if Kaiba-boy actually did it or not.

Mokuba was already in the Kaiba Corp helicopter when he received a bombardment of text messages from his sister-in-law regarding his brother and requested for him to come home before she committed a felony. Little did she know he was already on the way home contacted by Seto himself before the current situation unraveled into a bigger mess than it already was. He made an attempt to call Cameron not getting an answer the first time he called again and gave up seeing that he was already close to the Kaiba Mansion.

Once he was home nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He took off his shoes and blazer and headed to the main hallway that leads into the dining room. That is when chaos he was informed about by Seto started to show. The couple's arguing could be heard clearly even before getting close enough to the room. Cameron's feminine shrill was the more dominant voice heard. Seto's tone more of a drone between the two. As he kept his typical reserved temperament.

As the younger Kaiba hurried in, hands tucked in the front of his pants pockets the first thing that caught his eyes was the dishes that have been tossed off the table with food scattered around the room. Two frightened maids in the background cleaned some of the mess looking like a bowl of turned over risotto that caked into the plush rug. The young butler leading a hand as well, picking up shards of glass from broken dishes. A big red stain was prominent on Seto's light blue collar shirt. Most likely from wine.

Seto obviously taking notice of Mokuba first, he said nothing only glancing at him from the corner of his eye as he fell silent letting Cameron's banter continue. It took the small woman a moment to realize the change in the atmosphere due to the younger Kaiba. She turned her head and looked over at him with wide eyes.

"Are you finished making a fool of yourself?" Seto asked, clearly put out.

"Oh shut the hell up Seto! With you patronizing comments!" She barked at him.

Mokuba approached them with caution as he turned his attention to Cameron, seeing she was the more upset one.

"What happened? Are you okay?" He asked, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

She yanked her body away and glared. "Do something with your brother. I fucking hate him," She hissed.

Seto said nothing, standing stoically by the disheveled table. His face showed his signature unfazed expression and dark dull stare. "Now that you're little temper tantrum is over. Would you like to apologize to the staff and my brother for ruining their night?" His eyes cast over her in judgment.

"Seto," Mokuba mumbled defeatedly, unimpressed by his brother's subtle jab to his sister-in-law.

With eyes intense and lips stretched out in a scowl Cameron stepped forward and shoved Seto back.

"Hey, hey!" Mokuba frowned, grabbing hold of her arms quickly and pulled her back gently. "None of that now. Come on!" He told her calmly.

The shove didn't even budge the older Kaiba's stance, with arms crossed he glared down at Cameron. "Don't even bother Mokuba. She's too weak to cause any damage," He grumbled lowly.

He nodded releasing the hold on the young woman. Cameron turned to her husband, back to Mokuba now. Her hair pressed against her face and eyes red with anger she flinched resisting the urge to attack.

"It's disappointing, to say the least," He gave a lazy shrug. "A woman gave the opportunity to spend three years in the upper high-class part of England and then another three studying at Harvard and she has worse behavior than some vagrant off the street," He scoffed, turning his nose up at her. "Utterly pathetic."

Mokuba could feel the anger bubbling inside the small framed woman. Without warning, she pounced, nails first as an attempt to knock Seto's tall structure down. With knee-jerk reaction, Mokuba grabbed onto Cameron with ease and aggressively yanked her off. She flailed her body, legs kicking and arms waving in the air. It was a bit difficult for Mokuba to keep her close.

"Cam! Cut it out! I'm not gonna let you hurt Seto!" He closed his eyes, dragging her across the room, grabbing onto her hands haphazardly.He set her down on the floor, pressing her back against the wall and held her arms down to her sides as he crouched down next to her. He turned his head to look over at his brother who continued to stare harshly at Cameron, eyes boring through her.

"You're right," She started panting, tiring herself as Mokuba loosen his grip on her arms."I'd rather act worse than a vagrant," She said slickly as she popped her head over the younger Kaiba's broad shoulders."But at least I never murdered my father," She venomously spoke.

Seto's pupils constricted at her words. "What did you just say?" He spoke slowly, through gritted teeth.

Mokuba stood up straight, completely shocked looking back at the remaining butler and made a gesture to him to leave the room immediately. He obeyed and left. Cameron smirked as she slowly got up from the floor.

"You heard me, Seto. I know what you did to Gozaburo. You threw the poor bastard out a window," She ran her a hand through her hair to smooth it out.

"That's a lie! The old bastard jumped out a window! He was weak!" He snapped at her, throwing an arm in the air in a fit of rage. His eyes flashed over to Mokuba who just lowered his head down. He had nothing to say to defend his brother. He was unsure himself of what truly happened to his stepfather.

"I found the documents, Seto. It said he was contemplating and you helped him along with a push. Pathetic," She said with disdain.

"Mokuba! Get her the hell out! I'm finished. I'm done. I want her gone," He commanded as he stormed out of the dining room.

The younger Kaiba's eyes met with his sister-in-law. Her stare much more gentle now. He nodded to towards the front.

"Let's go. Before anything else escalades," He pressed a hand to the middle of her back and guided her out of the dining room and out to the mudroom. As they walked out he caught the attention of a maid and asked her politely to gather up a suitcase of items for Mrs.Kaiba. They waited in outside in one of Mokuba's trendy sports cars. Once Cameron received her bag he drove off.

"I'm taking you to my apartment until this all blows over," He told her, turning his blinker on.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I pulled you into this. But you should understand how difficult it is to deal with you brother," She held the small suitcase in her lap.

"I know, but you can't assault Seto like that. I don't care how rude he could be. You need to stay calm. Don't you want your marriage to workout?" He glanced over at her, seeing that she turned her face away from him when he asked. She stared at the window. Getting an unsettling answer he said nothing else. When a few minutes passed he finally spoke again.

"How did you know about my Step Father's death? What documents did you find?" He asked her, keeping his eyes on the road.

"One of the times I was home alone I was snooping through old boxes of paperwork your brother had saved. I was actually looking for the original copy of the contract to our marriage. The one Gozaburo created himself."

"And did you ever find it?" He asked.

"No, I found the death notice instead," She answered.

Silence fell upon them again as the disturbing aura graced the compact space of the car. Mokuba knew his brother was a bad person when he was younger. But was he actually evil enough to end somebody's else life? Granted that Gozaburo treated his brother ruthlessly but to the extent of murder?

"Were the scars from him?" Cameron asked meekly.

Mokuba shook his head, breaking his concentration as he glanced to his sister-in-law again. "Y-yeah." He admitted. "But don't tel--"

"I wouldn't. I figured as much after finding out how brutal he was to Seto. I don't blame him for shoving him out a window," She half-joked.

"I don't think Seto did it," He interjected quickly as he pulled up to their destination. The back parking lot of a posh apartment complex.

"Yeah? Maybe he didn't," She agreed, half-heartedly.

Mokuba got out first and opened the door for Cameron as he escorted her up to the top floor to his penthouse. He only used it occasionally when he wasn't staying at the Kaiba Manor. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The smell of soup cooking permeated the room. It took Cameron by surprise, quickly realizing the situation after noticing the woman's black Adidas shoes by the front door.

Soon enough the slender frame of a Korean girl appeared from the kitchen when she heard the door open. She was about Cameron's height. Her hair was dyed a copper color and was shoulder length with wispy bangs. Her cheeks pink from blush and dressed comfortably in tiny pink jogging shorts and a baggy Kaiba Land Hoody. She was also taken by surprise by Cam's presence as her smile faded and was replaced by embarrassment.

"Oh, hello," She said shyly, eyeing at Mokuba.

"Hi," Cameron answered pleasantly. "Don't mind me," She gave a nervous laugh.

Mokuba kept a friendly demeanor, pressing a hand to the back of Cameron's shoulder. "Hyori remember Cam? Seto's wife. They just married in the spring," he smiled at her.

Hyori nodded, still looking quite embarrassed. "Oh yes! I remember. Your wedding was very beautiful," She gave a small nod and stepped aside as the two walked into from the front door.

"Thanks. I remember you too. You were Mokuba's date," She walked in and set the suitcase on the floor beside the couch. "I can see why you've been staying away from the manor," She teased Mokuba.

"Yeeeeah~" Mokuba rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hyori is in charge of the entertainment at three different Kaiba Lands. Bro doesn't approve of business partners dating. I try not to bring her home. Seto will catch on," He walked into the kitchen and started pulling out some bowls to help set the table.

Cam rolled her eyes at Mokuba's explanation. "Your brother is an idiot."

Hyori let out a faint laugh almost as an agreement. "I made miso soup. Would you like some?" She asked.

"You can stay as long as you don't start throwing things," Mokuba joked, turning to Cameron with a smirk.

"Oh, why thank you. But I'll pass. I don't have much of an appetite," She said, helping Mokuba dress the table.

"Did things turn out alright?" Hyori asked, taking hold of a bowl and carried to the small kitchen.

"Possible?" Cameron answered uncertainly. "I can go. I would prefer. I can stay in a hotel for the night," She settled down on the couch once the table was fully set.

"No, you have no family here. I'd rather you stay with us. You are our family," Mokuba said, sitting down with Hyori at the small black glossy table.

The younger Kaiba's words made Cameron smile. If only the kindness could have been passed down to both brothers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I take elements from all angles for the characters I write with? I really love going by headcanon as well. And the last chapter along with this chapter is geared by a headcanon for Mokuba. Which was literally this "Should Seto marry, he serves as the median when there are communication issues. " 
> 
> I hope whoever reads this picks up on the headcanons I reference. I love 'em!

The next morning Mokuba left the penthouse and headed straight to Kaiba Corp and straight to his brother's office. He stepped into the office with a bounce in his step. He fixed the middle button to his purple blazer and stood in front of the long desk Seto sat behind.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked, leaning forward and placing his hands on top of the desk.

"Fine," The older Kaiba answered gruffly, staring at his monitor screen intensely. "How is she?" disgust evident in his voice.

"Fine," Mokuba shrugged.

"What did you get out of her last night?" Seto asked in a monotone, eyes drifting up to look at his brother's face.

"Cam found some old documents you kept. Looking for the original contract to the marriage arrangements. And found some sort of death speculations instead."

Seto pulled his hand away from his computer mouse and propped his arms up on his desk and he folded his hands in front of his face, steely eyes looking off into the distance as he listened.

"I see," He briefly looked down and opened one of the bottom drawers to his desk and pulled out a thin stapled bunch of papers and dropped it onto his desk.

"This is for Cameron. Tell her to read and to know it by heart by the end of the week. She'll be speaking at charity banquet this month."

Mokuba scanned over the front page of the stack of papers. "Is this what ignited the fight from last night?" he asked, picking it up.

"Somewhat. If she let me finish telling what it was. There wouldn't have been a fight," He grimaced as he spoke. The ringing of his office phone started to off. He clicked the intercom button.

"What is it?" He asked annoyed into the mic. One of his secretaries informed him on some inquiries from the programming department. Mokuba didn't take much interest in the conversion. He tucked the packet under his arm as he turned and started walking towards the door. He raised an arm and gave his brother a weak wave as a goodbye.

"Hold on a moment," He said firmly, muting the mic on his phone. "Mokuba, where is she now?" He asked.

The younger Kaiba turned, hand on the doorknob. "She's at Kaiba Land with Hyori," He answered.

"Tell her I'll be coming home around noon to talk with her. We'll have lunch," He said.

Mokuba gave a nod. "Alright. See ya' later bro," He gave Seto a playful salute with a wink before leaving the office.

\--

When afternoon came around Seto arrived at the Kaiba estate right at noon. Cameron had been patiently waiting for the sunroom that was in the back mansion which leads out to the garden. A patio table dressed with a tablecloth and laid out with tea cakes an array of finger sandwiches that were brought out by one of the older maids. Tea was poured, preferably black as Cameron sipped from a floral printed teacup. It was from a set she had brought with her from home. The stapled packet of paper was laid out on the table as well. It was flipped to the third page as Cam read through it. When Seto stepped into the sunroom she looked up. He wore a royal blue suit, buttons silver and a light grey collar shirt under it.

"You didn't tell me it was a charity event," She said, lips to her cup as she sipped.

"Why would I tell you to do something if I knew you wouldn't have interest in it?" He looked down at her dully, pulling his sleeve down to twist his watch back in place. It was a silver watch with his "SK" initials engraved on the face of it. Cameron recalled being told that it was a gift from Mokuba and how he has the matching watch but with his own initials engraved on his.

"Because as your equal I should be asked to do something not told. I'm not your employee to where you command me to do things," She lowered her gaze once he sat down across from her. Unlike her husband she was dressed down, only wearing a plain white sundress.

A maid quickly approached his side and opened a wooden box with an assortment of tea in it. He picked a herbal one and thanked her before she stepped away from the couple.

"How can I treat you as an equal when you fly off the handle and act like a child?" he sneered, settling his tea bag into a cup of hot water.

"I fly off the handle because you expect me to jump on your every word like everybody else. Haven't you realized that I'm afraid of you?" Her tone became sharp, taking another sip of tea before setting it down by her packet.

With arms folded and leg crossed under the table, her comment caused the CEO to smirk as a loud cocky chuckle escaped his mouth. "I know. That's why I like you," He said honestly.

"What are you talking about?" She frowned, puzzled by his reaction.

He dismissed her question and went on to the task at hand. "If you wanted the original contract to our arranged marriage then why didn't you just ask me instead of snooping? Child behavior. And you wonder why I treat you like one," He rolled his eyes and picked up his cup once he felt that his tea seeped enough.

"Because I know you wouldn't just hand it over to me. I wanted to see it for myself without any questions asked,"

"And when you couldn't find it you went through other things? Such as fake death proposals that were obviously made to make me look monstrous?" He raised a brow at her.

"But why?" She tilted her head, folding her hands in her lap.

"I've been getting sabotaged since day one when I first inherited this company. Even though I rightfully earned my place.There are still bastards that disagree and wanted to make me look bad. Do you think I'm going to lose sleep over you thinking I killed the old fart?" His smirk stayed planted on his face as his eyes shifted downwards.

Cameron bit her bottom lip, knowing well enough his cockiness was a defense mechanism. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. Especially in front of Mokuba."

"I don't care if you said it in front of Mokuba," He sneered.

"He knows the truth. If you want the original marriage document I'll give it to you," He dug into his blazer pocket.

"Hold out your hand," he ordered, pulling a small black box out of his pocket.

"Oh, you found my ring I threw at you last night?" She said almost emotionless.

"That young butler did. He found it in the soup," Seto said, opening the box and held his hand out to grab her arm. "Give me your hand."

"What a pity, I'd hope you'd choke on it," She said, holding her hand out to him finally as he gently slipped her wedding ring back on her finger. The band was silver and dainty, having two sapphire stones sandwiching a large diamond centered in the middle. Seto squeezed her hand tightly as a small punishment for her rude comment.

"Ow!" She winced, slipping her hand away to rub it.

He stood from the table. "I have to leave now. Give me a goodbye kiss." He said coolly.

"Oh, you want to play house now?" She smirked, admiring her ring a moment before she stood up as well and face him.

He outstretched an arm, brushing his hand against her back and bent down to kiss her. "I want you to behave. Don't make any more scenes," He studied her face before pulling away from her.

She kissed back, looking up at him. "Understood," She nodded to him.

He took her hand in his as he walked out of the sunroom. "And I want you to study your Japanese. Very soon I'm not going to speak to you in English anymore," He told, passing into the kitchen with her by his side.

She grinned. "You're using that as a threat? I'd rather that. I won't be able to understand any of the nonsense you scold me with!" She laughed softly as they made it to the living room.

He looked down at her darkly, stopping at the front door finally. "As a Kaiba, you must know more than just English and French. It's expected of you. Mokuba knows four languages. And is learning a fifth," He released her hand.

"I've been studying with my tutor in the library every night. Don't act like I'm some kind of a slacker," She frowned at him.

He bent down to peck her lips again. "Be good. Mokuba said he'd be home tonight," He opened the door and stepped out.

She accepted the kiss and stood on the threshold, holding the edge of the fancy mahogany door. "What about you?"

"You'll most likely be asleep by the time I'll get back," He took a good look at her from over his shoulder before he disappeared.

She slammed the door with a huff, securing the lock before walking out of the mudroom. As she made it past the living room the young butler caught her eye in the nearby hallway.

"Nice going Kaito! Finding the ring like that! Now I'm trapped here forever!" She shouted out to the older teen kiddingly.

He looked up at Cameron in shock like a deer in headlights, frightened at her reaction at first and let her words sink in as he grinned nervously after realizing she teasing him.

\--

That night the surround sound of the home theater inside the Kaiba manor boomed. Wheels on Meals played out on the large screen as Mokuba and Cameron sat in the front row. Both sprawled out on more than one the comfortable red recliners. Pieces of popcorn were scattered around the rug of the darkened room as it was thrown every time a fight scene with Jackie Chan came on along with loud tipsy cheering from the two. Once the movie had ended both eventually got up. Mokuba took hold of his sister-in-law's hand and helped pull her out of the seat that almost swallowed her whole.

"Thank you," She smiled at him and she started picking up the handful of beer cans that were empty on the floor.

"Leave them. The maids will clean in the morning," He shooed her hands away playfully.

"No! I want to!" She became uppity very quickly due to being buzzed, holding the cans in her arms to her chest she started to walk out with him and threw them in the trash pail near the exist. Mokuba put his hands up in defense and followed her. She opened her arms to the younger Kaiba once they entered the hallway. He bent down and hugged her.

"Thank you for hanging out with me," She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Hey! Don't thank me! It's fun hanging out with you," He chuckled, slowly slipping away from her grasp. "I just want you and bro to me happy."

"You're the only saving grace to this family," Her eyes shifted downwards with a frown as she flopped her arms back to her side.

"Don't say that. You just have to give Seto time to warm up. He's a very reserved guy. Ya' know? Give it time." He tried to encourage her with a smile.

"I'm honestly trying," Defeat could be heard in her voice with a sigh.

He squeezed her shoulder to comfort her. "It'll be alright. I promise."

"Your brother also has to play his part too. You know," She nudged Mokuba's hand away.

"And I can assure you he's trying," He leaned back on one leg, tucking his hands in his pockets. An Awkward silence fell between them it was clear that Cameron was finished talking.

"Have a good night Cam. Sleep well," He ruffled her hair playfully and stepped away quickly before she could counteract.

\--

Cameron made her way to the west wing. She stopped by her bedroom to gather a few items such as underwear, hairbrush and her pillow before leaving and heading towards Seto's room. It was empty as the older Kaiba most likely wouldn't be home for hours. His room had that scent he carried. It was a fresh, strong smell. He also kept it very neat with very little clutter only having a few tchotchkes displayed precisely by how important they were to him. The maids never really had to step foot into Seto's room and he preferred it that way. He was somebody who liked his privacy. Which Cameron was eagerly ready to invade.

She opened one of his dresser drawers and pulled out of his less important collar shirt. A crisp white one with a pocket on the left side of it. She carried it to the bathroom and showered. After slipping the shirt on she started buttoning it, walking to the bed she stopped halfway as it was getting tedious. She sat down on the edge of the comforter and laid down flat on her back with a yawn. Her head turned to acknowledge the Duel Monster locket that hung from the headboard. Cameron had never really noticed it until now. Out of curiosity she reached over and opened it. She grinned, seeing that it was a picture of a little wide-eyed Mokuba. She closed it back up as she wiggled under the covers, laying her head down and closed her eyes.

Not even realizing she fell asleep, Cameron awoke to the weight of the bed shifting and a presence looming over her. When her eyes opened the icy stare of her husband met with hers. He was already undressed for the night and wore more comfortable clothing. His hair was damp with a subtle fresh scent lingering off him. He must have showered beforehand.

"Is this going to be a new occurrence with you?" He asked dryly, taking a hold of her gently and slid her across the sheets so he could retrieve his normal spot in bed.

"Hm?" Her eyes were glossy from sleep, cuddling against his side once he was under the covers with her.

"When you behave badly. Are you constantly going to appear in my bed as a peace offer?" He ran a hand down her side, feeling the material of the collar shirt.

"Perhaps?" She cooed, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck with a smile.

Seto laid limp on his side with dimmed eyes staring at the blank wall. He found his fingers stroking her hair absent-mindedly as he thought. He squinted once he got a whiff of alcohol and pulled away from her.

"You smell of alcohol," He scorned, grabbing out her chin to lift her head up.

"Where have you been tonight?" Eyes narrowing at her suspiciously as he stared down at her drowsy face.

"Nowhere," Cameron purred. "I stayed home and watched Jackie Chan movies with Mokuba," She held onto his arm and kissed his wrist.

He quickly snapped his arm away. "You've been drinking with my brother? How irresponsible!" He sat up against the headboard.

Her brows flustered with a pout. "Seto stop!" Her voice pitched at the end of her sentence and grabbed onto his arm.

He snatched away from her again. "Can't you ever act like a normal mature woman!" He ran fingers through his damp hair. "Where is your head, Cameron? Why would you think that'd be appropriate?"

She slowly sat up, sitting on her knees and leaned forward to him with palms pressing into the mattress. "If he was sixteen I'd think differently. But because he's an adult I thought it was okay. When are you going to stop treating Mokuba like a baby?"

"I'm not treating him like a baby! It's just something you don't do with your brother-in-law!" He barked.

"Why? I've drunk beer with my younger brothers before!" She sat up straight, bare legs showing.

He made eye-contact with her, staring critically. "Have you seen how your younger brothers behave?--"

"CJ is the wild one. Gregory never leaves his room. Don't drag him into this," She was quick to defend.

"That's beside the point! Your older brothers don't seem like very good model citizens either," He scoffed looking away from her, brushing his bangs in place again.

"Don't you dare talk about my family like you to know them," She hissed at him.

"And why's that Cameron? When you're quick to throw that old bastard in my face," He gritted his teeth, catching her intense gaze again.

"Because you want to act like your shit doesn't stink! You're more likable when your brother is around. I want to see you like that more often. But instead, I get this!" She shot back and threw her hand up in the air to gesture to him before crawling back under the covers, turning her back to him.

"Self-righteous, patronizing idiot," She grumbled to herself, mouth covered by the hem of the blanket.

Ignoring her comments he yanked the covers off her."I'm not done talking to you. Turn around," He ordered her harshly.

"I'm not your fucking employee Seto. Talk to me like your equal," She pulled the blankets back over her and pulled it upwards to cover her head.

He sat there in silence, calculating his wife's true method. He turned to lean closer to her.

"I'm not done talking with you. Turn around. Please," He softened his tone, hesitating on the please as Cameron sat up, holding the blanket around her.

"What?" She stared at him blankly, the back of her hair sticking up from being pressed against the pillow.

"I don't want you drinking with my brother. It's irresponsible. You're older. You should be leading by example," He kept his tone cool as well for his stare on her.

"I guess everything I just said is just going over your big fat head isn't it?" She sighed heavily.

"You don't understand the bond I have with my brother. He's more important to me than you'll ever be," He told her harshly.

Cameron wasn't hurt by his bluntness knowing very well that the Kaiba brothers only had each other. It was very touching and she could appreciate their loyalty towards one another. Even if she thought Seto's overprotect tendencies were too much.

"I understand that. But if you could allow him to be the vice president of your company why can't you loosen up on his personal life? He's a good kid. There shouldn't be a reason for you do not trust him."

"I trust him! It's the world I don't trust," He growled lowly and shifted his eyes away.

A sincere smile grew on her face as she leaned into him and kissed his strong bicep. She hugged his arm.

He stiffened at her touch, confused by her reaction.

"What?" His voice almost hoarse.

She squinted in content. "I like it when you're passionate about the things you love~" She crawled into his lap and straddled his knee to hug close to his chest. "I just want to be one of them," She closed her eyes and whispered.

Seto rested his chin on top of her head, staring into the distance. "Don't do this," he grumbled.

"Why?" She glanced up at him. "Am I making you feel uncomfortable, Seto?" She gave a satisfied smirk.

He didn't answer, turning his head away and pressed his palm to the middle of her back. "What were your true intentions for sneaking in here tonight?"

"I only come in here to feel close to you," She answered honestly, reaching up to pet the back of his neck.

His muscles tensed at her delicate touch. " It's to challenge me." He corrected.

"You come in here dressed the way you do. Act like some sort of submissive rabbit. You're trying to play a game. And you want me to follow. I'm sorry to say you're going to be very disappointed."

Cameron's eyes gleamed in amusement as she hid her grin in the fabric of his well-worn t-shirt. "Are you telling me you'll only play if you're the leader?" She suddenly sat up straight.

"I'm telling you that you're not as cunning as you think you're being," He avoided the question.

"Fine then," She gripped onto the fabric of his shirt, leaning back close to him as she kissed his lips. "Tag," She slowly slipped out of his lap, grabbing her pillow and headed for the door. "You're it!~"

He raises a brow, folding his arms across his chest as he studied the movement of her body. "I didn't dismiss you from this bed," He commanded.

Her hair swooshed to the side as she looked over her shoulder through the darkness of the room. A smug smile stayed curved to her lips as she swayed back to the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually more trained in play/script writing than I am with normal short story writing. If you could imagine. I really LOVE movies. I wanted to give Mokuba a little chunk of that I suppose? Again, another headcanon I read was that Mokie does not like horror movies. So instead I can picture the little dweeb enjoying those good time American movies. Like those John Wayne films. 
> 
> And you guys will soon find out. Mokuba is basically my FAVORITE character to write as. Do not ask me why. I just love that kid.

It was 5 am when Seto had woken up the next morning from his nerve-wracking alarm on his phone. Cameron was back beside him in bed, curled to his side and covered up with the blankets. He slipped his arm away from his wife's small form and slowly sat up, hair tousled from every other angle, bangs messily brushed out of place and to the side as he pressed the off button on his phone. He glanced down in the darkness when he felt Cameron's arms wrap around his waist.

"If you want to eat together. Get up now," His voice sounding a tad lower than usual from sleep.

"Okay," She whispered, still half asleep with her cheek pressed to his side and eyes still closed.

Seto pulled away as he stood, heading to the walk-in closet and turned on the light that shined directly onto Cameron's face. She squinted catching a glimpse of her husband's bare muscular back before rolling over onto Seto's side of the bed and hugged his pillow to her face. She watched him dress into one of his suits as her heavy eyelids soon closed again. A minute after she was awoken by his voice.

"Did you hear me?" He asked in annoyance, walking past the bed as he picked up his phone from the nightstand and headed to the door.

She slowly opened her eyes and stood from the bed and groggily followed behind him. Once she caught up beside him, Seto looked down at her with a sharp gaze.

"Put on some shorts or something. Mokuba will be up soon," He told her, fixing his tie.

She nodded in response to him as she turned in the hallway once her bedroom door came close. His eyes followed her movement, walking off downstairs to the kitchen. When Cameron joined him downstairs she had buttoned the collar shirt all the way down and wore a tiny pair of shorts underneath it. Seto was already seated at the corner of the kitchen nook. He had a mug of coffee in hand and his tablet laid on the table top with glasses over his eyes. She said nothing, slipping next to him on the open side of the nook.

"I told the maid to make your oatmeal the way you like," He spoke in almost a hush, sipping coffee from his mug and set it down to tap at an email on his tablet.

"Why did you tell the maid to cook? I would have made breakfast," She frowned, brushing her fingers through her hair to smooth down her bedhead.

"Because you didn't seem like you were coming down right away," He hesitated as he took the time to read the text of an email, taking a long sip of coffee before setting it back down.

"...And besides, I don't like how you make my eggs," He finished his thought.

"What do you mean!" She spun her head around and glared at him. One of the older maids gave a coy smile to the young woman as she approached the table and set down a floral printed saucer and matching teacup filled with hot water. A tea bag and lemon were set on the side for her also before heading to the back of the kitchen.

"You make my eggs to dry," He answered bluntly, keeping his eyes focused on the task at hand.

"They're just egg whites! How can you make them dry!" She poked at his tablet. "And we agreed on no technology at the table! It's supposed to be bonding time!--"

He swiftly grabbed onto her wrist and moved her hand out of the way of his screen and stared at her coldly. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you think I'm just playing on my phone all the time like you and Mokuba? I have serious work to do," He scolded her as he continued to answer an email.

Cam sighed heavily, fixing her tea and stirred it. "If you didn't strain your eyes so much from your computer you wouldn't have to wear glasses," She mumbled under her breath and took a sip of her tea.

Her comment earned her another side-eyed look from behind his designer frames. He didn't bother with a comeback knowing she was right for once. The maid came back and set Cameron's bowl of oatmeal with mixed fruit down first and then Seto's plate which consisted of six egg whites and spinach with cherry tomatoes on the side. She stood by the side of the table holding her hands politely in front of her asking if they needed anything else. They both declined to have the maid give another gentle smile before making herself scarce. The couple sat there in silence only having faint clanging of the cutlery against their dishes. Seto would never admit it outright but he enjoyed the silence between him and his wife. Seemingly that they never got along. It was a nice change. Halfway through the meal Mokuba's voice could be heard reciting the famous speech from the movie Dirty Harry from afar in the hallway. Speaking loud enough so his voice would echo into the oncoming rooms. It caused Cameron to turn her head and grin.

"I think Mokuba is up," She sipped the last of her tea and set the cup down back to the saucer.

Seto let out a sigh, enjoying the silence while it lasted. Hoping that Mokuba would shut up once he finished his little speech. When he got closer to the kitchen the lines could be heard clearly.

".44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question!" He announced, swirling around on one foot to face the table once he made his way to the counter where the coffee pot was. His thick hair sticking up more than normal due to bedhead. He was still dressed in his sleepwear of checkered boxers and a band t-shirt.

"Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya' punk!" He smirked, making eye-contact with Cameron who was highly amused by his rehearsal, clapping after he was finished.

"Now repeat in Japanese!" She laughed with her grin still present on her face.

Mokuba grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself a cup of coffee, striding over to the table with his lips curved to his cup as he repeated the same speech in his native tongue but five times faster and he ended off with a loud 'Bang!' Forming his hands into a gun and pointed it towards Cameron and his brother. Seto looked up from his tablet quick just to roll his eyes.

It made Cameron let out another giggle, embracing Mokuba into a hug when he came close. He wrapped his free arm around his sister-in-law as he held his cup in the other.

"Good morning My dear Sis-in-law~" He kissed the top of her head, taking another sip of coffee and slid over to Seto.

"Good morning bro~" He grinned at him. Before the older Kaiba could respond Mokuba suddenly lifted his brother's bangs up to show his forehead.

"Good morning forehead wrinkles!" He laughed out loud and kissed Seto's forehead before he was swatted away. The older Kaiba instinctively pushed back away from Mokuba's hand. Cameron was hysterical at this point, bent over laughing hanging from the side of the nook.

"Isn't it too early for you guys to be this annoying!" He growled, lowering his head to smooth his bangs back in place over his eyes.

"Wait, wait!" She heaved, catching her breath. "What was that! The Grand Canyon!" She turned to face her husband to touch his bangs.

He turned her body away from her with a huff. "Don't you dare!" He snarled.

"Aw, Seto! It's just a joke! Relax!" Mokuba grinned, sitting in the middle of the nook bench across from them.

"Shouldn't you have a hangover from all the drinking you did last night?" He grumbled, taking off his glasses and set them down onto his tablet pushing them both aside.

"I didn't drink that much so no?" Mokuba raised a brow, looking over at Seto's empty plate and the unfinished oatmeal in front of Cameron.

"What'd you make for breakfast Cam?" He asked, holding his cup with both hands. Pressing his the bottom of his feet to the middle of the nook's brace.

"I didn't. Seto told the maids to cook. He doesn't like how I make his eggs apparently," She crossed her arms with a huff.

"You make them too dry!" The older Kaiba chimed in, pulling his mug away from his lips.

"Oh, well. I don't think your eggs are dry. Can you make me something?" Mokuba pointed at her bowl as a gesture to pass it over. 

Her face lit up with a smile as she slid her oatmeal over for Mokuba to finish it. "Sure, I'll make you something. Do you want egg whites like your brother?"

Seto's eyes followed the bowl with a frown. "Why didn't you finish?" He asked lowly.

Cameron shrugged. "It's too dry," She spat with sarcasm, catching a glimpse of him as she stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen.

Mokuba ignored their bickering, mixing the oatmeal around before eating a spoonful. "I don't know? Something with protein," He turned his body to the side to talk to Cameron.

"Um," She bent down and searched for a pan in one of the lower cabinets. "What about what Seto had? But in omelette form," She lifted a giant pan out from the cabinet and slammed it down on the stove top.

"Sure?" Mokuba turned to face his brother again. "What did you have with your egg whites?" He asked, eating the last of the oatmeal quickly and clanged the spoon into the empty bowl.

Seto sat quietly, watching the two interact with his arms folded and legs crossed under the table. He perked his head as the younger Kaiba turned his attention back towards him. "Hm? Spinach and tomatoes," He answered, leaning back into the bench of the nook.

"Sounds good Cam!" Mokuba yelled out, stretching his legs under the table further to touch Seto's legs with his socks with a mischievous grin.

The older Kaiba flustered his brows together with a frown, pulling his legs further away and stood from the table and made his way to Mokuba's side as he grabbed onto his brother's shoulder and pressed him close to his side.

"Act your age, kid!" He said with a smirk and purposely ruffled his younger brother's hair into his eyes.

"Ack!" Mokuba let out a chuckle as he was squeezed to Seto's side in some form of a hug.

"Look who's talking!" He wiggled his way out of his grasp and shook head, using his fingers to brush his wild locks out of his eyes.

Cameron smiled from afar, standing in front of the stove with a spatula in hand as she waited to flip the omelet over.

"You have so much hair Mokuba. And it's so thick," A plate was already set down on the counter with cut toast on it.

"Yeah, it's hard to manage sometimes," He mumbled as he started to squirm finding himself in Seto's grasp again who proceeded to ruffle his hair.

"Nooo!~" He shoved his brother's hand away and repeated the process of trying to smooth down his hair again.

"Don't take too long. I'll be expecting you in a meeting with me by 9:00," He told the younger Kaiba as he stretched his arm over to pick up his tablet and glasses.

"It's not gonna take me four hours to eat an omelet," He rolled his eyes at his brother, leaning his head back as Seto walked further into the Kitchen to where Cameron was.

"Yeah, I know. More like it'll take you 3 seconds," He smirked, stopping by the left of his wife.

She was gingerly maneuvering the omelet out of the pan when she turned to slide the now folded omelet onto the plate she looked up at Seto's cool expression.

"What?" She asked, readjusting the toast onto the plate so everything fit.

"I'm leaving," He stated, watching her carefully with his eyes.

"Oh, did you come here for a cuddle?" She asked.

"Yes," He moved in close, bending down to embrace her into a hug.

She stood on her tiptoes and hugged back, leaning up to peck his lips. "Goodbye."

He pressed a palm to the middle of her back and kissed back before slipping away and staring at Mokuba unimpressed. "Can I help you?"

"Nope, just waiting for you to leave so my omelet doesn't get cold," He grinned, sticking his tongue out at Seto.

Seto gave a smug look at Mokuba, sliding his hand up to cup Cameron's cheek and lowered his face to kiss the top of her head. "Goodbye. Make sure you read over the speech I gave you. And study your Japanes--"

"Don't forget to give me that original marriage contract I want," She interrupted dryly, rubbing up and down the sleeve to his tailored suit as his hand while his hand was still on her cheek.

"Of course I will. You'll have it by today," He pulled his hand away and looked down at his watch.

"Come on Seto! I'm aging over here!" Mokuba groaned having his brother grab his plate from the counter and set it down in front of him with a thud.

"Don't act spoiled now just because Cameron is here," He teased him, tucking his glasses into his breast pocket and tablet under his arm as he exited the kitchen.

Mokuba turned to Cameron with an amused look, picking up a piece of toast and bit into it.

"I like when you guys get along," He said with a munch.

"I do too," Cameron smiled faintly, walking back over to the nook and set a fork and napkin down next to Mokuba's plate.

\--

During the afternoon Cameron arrived at Kaiba Corp around 2 pm. It was a dreary day, the sky gray with the rain only starting to lighten up. Isono stepped out from the driver's seat with the umbrella in hand and walked around to open the back door to the limousine. As Cameron stood and stepped out the older man popped open the large dome-shaped umbrella. It was see-through with a pink floral border on the bottom of it.

"Thank you, Hoke," Cameron said with a smile, pulling her tote bag over her shoulder as the heel of her ankle boot touched the edge of the sidewalk.

"You are welcome, Miss.Daisy," Isono responded, finding pleasure in Mrs.Kaiba's humor even though she didn't enjoy being assigned a bodyguard. He took her hand and guided her up the stairs that lead up to the building. Cameron slipped her hand away once they made it to the doors and stepped inside.

"Thank you Isono. See you in a bit?" She turned to him and took the umbrella once it was closed, holding it low so the droplets from the rain would drip off.

He nodded to her. "Of course. Enjoy your lunch with Mr.Kaiba," He gave a slight bow and walked off in the opposite direction Cameron was heading.

She headed to the elevator, slipping the umbrella into her tote. The door opened halfway as the small space flooded up with employees. The short brunette stepped into the corner, looking down to avoid any conversion. The last thing she wanted was to be recognized. When the elevator rang and the door opened to the top floor she scurried out undetected, turning her back to the cluster still stuck in the lift. She pushed open the door that leads into the waiting room. The attractive Western secretary looked up from her computer screen right away.

"Mrs.Kaiba, the pleasure to see you," She said pleasantly, tilting her head.

"Hi, Cynthia. His meeting is almost over isn't it?" Cameron stood in front of her tall rounded desk, pushing her hair behind her shoulder.

Cynthia looked over her computer and with a few clicks of her mouse, she nodded with a smile. "Yes, in about 5 minutes. Would you like me to beep you in?" She asked.

"No, I came to surprise him," Cameron answered, taking a seat on the couch and set her bag beside her. She was bundled up in a camel-colored peacoat and blue lightweight scarf tucked into the collar of the coat.

"That's very sweet of you," Cynthia added, looking over proposals on her screen.

"I hope he thinks so too," She scoffed from the couch, relaxing into the cushions and pulled out her phone to looked over her messages. He never answered her text. Typical. A few minutes past in pure silence only for the secretary's typing faintly heard.The door of Seto's office opened causing Cameron to glance up and away from her phone as a young man stepped out. He was so out of place in the building. Not dressed in a suit like everybody else. He wore tight leather pants and blazer with a chain draping down from the breast pocket that lead to the bottom pocket. Hair blond and purple spiked up high. Her husband was close behind him, towering over the other male as they chatted in Japanese. The shorter man looked straight at Cameron and turned his head to Seto with a smile speaking to him again. This caused Seto to look straight at his wife as well, walking beside the other man now and stopped in front of the couch.

"Yugi, this is my wife Cameron," He introduced her in English.

"I knew I recognized you. I saw your wedding pictures. You were a very beautiful bride. I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it," He rubbed the back of his neck and put his hand out to her. Cameron stood taking Yugi's hand in a firm grip.

"Thanks so much! That's okay, you didn't miss much," She tried making a joke with a smile.

"It's very nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you," He shook her hand and slowly slipped away.

"You have?" Cameron caught a glimpse of Seto's face quickly, keeping the focus on Yugi.

"Mhm, don't worry they aren't all bad!" He gave a soft chuckle and winked at her.

"I'd hope not," She mumbled to herself, looking away.

Seto kept stone face through their conversion. Seeing that it was dying down he took Yugi's hand and shook it as he said his goodbyes to his friend in Japanese as he escorted him to the doors. Before Yugi was completely out the door he waved at her.

"It was nice meeting you, Cameron! Enjoy your day!" He called out.

"Thank you! I hope you do too!" She waved back as her husband disappear out the doors. Cameron walked into his office, setting the tote bag onto the couch facing the desk. She pulled her scarf off, tucking it in her bag and unbuttoned her coat to reveal a long sleeved high collared shirt with a forest green high waisted swing skirt. Black tights covered her legs and pearls pinned in her ears. After draping her coat over one of the desk chairs for Seto's visitors she pulled out a large plastic bento with the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon printed onto the cover with an elastic strap secured the two layers together. She set the bento down on the glass coffee table. She put her red wooden bento with little white rabbits painted on it next to his. Cameron sat down on the couch, legs crossed as she sent a doggo meme back to Mokuba. She looked up when she heard the door close. Seto stood in the doorway, blazer off and wearing a light blue vest over a white dress shirt.

"I didn't know you talked about me," She set her phone down and patted the space beside her for him to sit.

"I didn't know I wasn't allowed to talk about my wife," He said in annoyance, hands tucked in his pants pockets as he sat down next to her on the couch. Cameron covered the smile that grew on her face realizing how similar his and Mokuba's mannerisms were. He picked up the bento, touching the cover.

"Where'd you get such a thing?" He sneered, pulling the band off his container.

"One of the times I went Tokyo and visited a flea market. I saw it and thought it was fitting for you," She opened her own bento and handed him a pair of chopsticks in a box.

He took it, setting the top of his bento down and started exploring the contents of his lunch with seemed to be grilled salmon and that strange grain called quinoa that for some reason Cameron has been trying to shove down his throat.

"What's the occasion?" He asked, keeping his eyes down on his lunch as he picked at some of the quinoa with a bit of salmon with his chopsticks.

"There is none. I just wanted to come see you is all," She answered, picking at her own bento that was identical to his.

"You rarely come visit me at work. What is the reason for it?" He turned to look down at her with dull eyes, knowing there was some kind of a catch.

Cameron mimicked his cold expression only looking less threatening than her husband in the process. "We took a vote at dinner the other night. We agreed on having mealtime at least four times a week," She told him as she set her bento down and pulled a bottle of water out of her bag and handed it.

"No, we didn't. I don't remember agreeing to anything," He took the water and twisted it open and took a sip.

"When I said 'we' I meant me and Mokuba. With no surprise, you weren't there for the vote. And because it'd be two against one anyway the outcome still counts. Because you would have lost the vote anyway," She took out a bottled water for herself and took a sip.

"I never said I'd disagree to adding two more mealtimes," He said coldly, finishing the top layer of his bento and opening the bottom tier that just contained a single Ferrero Rocher chocolate. He smirked at her effort of affection. He left the treat untouched as he set the bento back together and added the band around it to hold the box in place.

"Oh, so you were just being difficult as usual?" She held the water bottle close to her, watching Seto stand up from the couch and walk back over to his desk.

"Look who's talking," He remarked, opening up files he was looking at previously before.

She frowned, laying over the space he left on the couch. "Come back please?" She asked sweetly.

He ignored her at first, focusing on documents Yugi had sent him for a game design. "I have work to do," He grumbled lowly.

"So? I know for a fact you have your laptop or tablet in here too," She rested her head on the arm of the couch, watching her husband from afar. After a minute of no answer, she spoke.

"Please," She whimpered softly.

No answer again, she persisted. "I won't bother I promise," A grin suddenly appeared on her face as she sat up as she saw Seto suddenly stand from his desk. He walked over to a small closet and pulled out his laptop case and slipped it out and closed the door as he headed towards the couch back to her side.

"I spoil you too much," He scoffed, setting his laptop down once she moved both their bentos out of the way. She crawled closer to his side and hugged his arm. He quickly pulled it away.

"You also have work to do Cameron," He leaned forward to reopen the folder that had the documents he was looking at.

"No duh?" She untied her boots and set them aside to sit criss-cross on the couch and pulled her speech packet out of her tote. She flipped to the page that was the most highlighted in yellow. Those were the parts that were the hardest to remember for her. The concept of the speech was easy in itself. It was was basically a 'Thank you' to all the participants that had donated to the cause of orphaned and needy children. A few minutes had passed as both stayed silent and focused on their work. Cameron had ended up sprawling herself back onto the couch and snuck her legs over Seto's lap. He sat up straight, moving his arms up and out of the way of her legs.

"You said you wouldn't bother me," He spoke dryly as he looked over at the rest of her body that was pressed comfortably into the couch cushions. She wiggled her feet against his knee in response, keeping the packet of paper in front of her face as she continued to read.

He grabbed onto her shin to stop her wiggling and rubbed his hand slowly up to her knee and down. Cameron glanced away from her paper and smiled cheekily towards him. He glanced back coldly, turning back to his laptop. He slipped his hand away, almost using her legs as an armrest while he typed. Once in awhile his hand would find it's way back to her legs. Gripping his hand around her calf and up, stopping at her thigh and back down. He enjoyed the texture of her tights as Cameron found his stroking relaxing and also enjoyed his affection.

"You have a run in your tights," He said softly, running his fingers against the thin tear up her middle thigh as he glanced away from his screen and down at her leg.

"Yeah? Are you sure you didn't create it?" She teased with a grin, sitting back up and curled to his side.

"Doubtful," He ran his hand back down her leg and kept a weak grip on her knee now.

She reached over and hugged onto his side, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. Seto let a silent sigh escape him as he glanced down at her skirt that rose up a bit from her wiggling. He gently pulled it back down over her thighs.

"We're not home. This is very inappropriate," He calmly pushed her away along with her legs off his lap and stood, walking back to his desk and sat down. She stayed put for another minute before she put the bentos back in her bag along with her unfinished water bottle and slipped her boots back on.

"Fine, I'll leave. Since you're distracted," She closed his laptop for him and made her way to the chairs in front of his desk and picked her coat up from the chair she had it draped over.

"Will you be home early tonight?" She asked, buttoning up.

"I'm not sure," He answered, clicking his mouse multiple times and keeping an intense stare on his work.

"What about Mokuba?"

"Just text him, Cameron," His voice made it evident that he was annoyed by her inane questions.

"Fine," She pulled the rocher chocolate out and set it on the edge of his desk.

Seeing her hand from the corner of his eye he smirked at the gesture. "Before you go. I have something you've been pestering me about," He said as he opened the drawer to his desk and pulled out a fairly large envelope.

"Is that the contract?" She asked, reaching out to take it he raises his arm up before she could take hold of it.

"Uh-uh! Before I let you go. I've done as you wished and not asked you why you wanted this contract. With that being said, I'd like for you to never go through any legal paperwork without my permission again. It's not your place. Do you understand?" His tone became sharp, staring harshly at her.

She glared back, hopping up a bit and snatched the envelope out of his hand. "It's my place since a marriage takes two. It's my right to know the contents of the original contract," She slipped the envelope into her bag.

"I'm not talking about that," He growled lowly.

She raised a brow and realized quickly that he was referring to the Gozaburo fiasco. "Oh, well. In that case. You're right. It wasn't my place to those documents, no. Though! I have to say I already apologized for it. And it won't again."

"Thank you. Hopefully, I'll see you at home. Have a good day," He kept his eyes on his computer screen.

"Excuse me. Can I at least get a goodbye kiss?" She frowned.

"I suppose so," he swiveled in his chair to the side and opened an arm out to her.

Cameron's face quickly lit up with a smile as she scurried over and grabbed onto his face lightly and pecked his lips. "Bye."

He kissed back, wrapping his arm around her loosely. "Get home safe. Goodbye."

She kissed again before pulling away and headed towards the door to leave. Halfway out he called out to her.

"One more thing!" He raised his voice only a bit.

She turned around in surprise, hair falling behind her shoulder. "Hm?"

"Stop feeding me that quinoa. Can't you just use regular white rice?" He made a face as he spoke.

She covered her mouth to hide her smile. "Sure thing hubby," She said mockingly as he left his office.


	6. Chapter 6

It was 11:45 pm when the door to Seto's private bathroom swung open with a thud. The running water from the shower could be heard as it pounded against the young CEO's strong back. His eyes were closed letting the hot water sooth his achy muscles. His body shot up straight when the glass door to the shower opened. His wet hair stuck to face as his eyes narrowed almost in a rage.

"Cameron! What in the world are you doing!" He shouted.

"I need to talk to you and this is the best place to do it," His wife answered smugly.

Cameron stood right in the doorway of the shower with her hand still gripping the door. She was wearing that baby blue nightgown he was beginning to dread giving her. Droplets of water sprayed onto her but didn't discourage her strange. This situation didn't necessarily make Seto feel embarrassed, but never having any actual sexual encounters before with his wife made him feel awkward. The occasional kissing and touching here and there but he never actually saw her naked yet. And as of right now she never saw him fully unclothed either. Even if the steam from the hot water helped cover the most intimate regions he did not like the fact that she decided to interrogate him in such a way. She was targeting him in a vulnerable position. She was trying to play that dominating game again. And he did not like it. Seto turned the knob to the water off as he swiftly pushed her out of way, aggressive enough so she got the hint of his displeasure. Quickly he wrapped a large towel around his waist and pressed his back against the sink to face his wife who was still by the door of the shower.

"What the hell do you want?" His tone was dark and dangerous. His fridge dripped from the wetness of his hair. He stretched his arms out and laid his hands on the countertop of the sink.

"Why did you decide to marry me after knowing that I wasn't Jenna?" She closed the shower door with a strong push as it clanged shut having glass wobble from the pressure.

"Is that why you were hounding me for that damn contract? Because I married you instead of your sister?" He lowered his head down and squeezed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tight from stress.

"It's more than just Jenna! What about the shares? Was it because my Mother's side has all those high stocks? Did you marry me for the money Seto?" Her voice pitched as she became more uppity.

Seto lowered his head as a smug chuckle escaped his mouth. "Do you think I care about stocks?" He slowly lifted his head up and stared at her with his icy eyes.

"If I wanted your family's stocks I could have just bought you out. But guess what? I don't need them!" He pushed away from the sink and walked out of the bathroom only having Cameron follow behind him.

"I'm just puzzled because all I ever heard about you from the media and yourself is how you make your own destiny. How you control your own outcome of your life," She plopped down on the bed and turned away from the walk-in closet to give her husband privacy.

"Yeah? And? I did. What's your point," He sneered as he began to dress.

"No, you didn't. You hate Gozaburo and you erased every inkling of his existence from your company. So why did you stick with the arranged marriage he set up for you?" She crossed her arms, keeping her face away from his direction.

"Why are you obsessed with dragging that old man back from the grave?" He growled, finally walking out dressed in only the bottoms of his pajamas.

"Because you kept the contract he made for you. Didn't you? But instead of marrying my older sister because she fled. You had to go with plan B. Which was me. Right? Why? Why did you do that?" She turned to him once she realized he was decent.

He made eye contact with her, keeping his gaze sharp. "Do you really want to know?" He asked, sitting next to her and crossed his leg.

"Of course! Why would I be in here if I didn't!"

The shrill at the end of her voice was racking his brain. Seto lowered his head and rubbed his temples.

"If you shut up and listen. I will tell you!" His voice boomed, startling the young brunette, she pressed her lips tightly together and nodded in response. He took a moment to compose his temper before continuing.

"My first intentions were what you would expect. I'm getting older and it's expected of me to be married. It looks good for my company and for the media," He made eye-contact with her as his stare was still intense.

"I know who your sister is. She's a very successful businesswoman. But I don't care for her, she's a snob. If she was the woman I was still supposed to marry I wouldn't have agreed to the contract. I found interest when it was you--"

"But why?" Cameron chimed in with a glare.

"If you stop interrupting I'll tell you!" He barked at her only to have his small wife recoil in discomfort. Seeing her negative reaction he calmed his tone.

"You have a beautiful face," He answered honestly.

"Pig! And that's why you married me? Because I'm physically attractive? You might be labeled one of the most intelligent men in the world but you're still a typical pig-headed man," She stood up, pulling the back of her gown down so it didn't ride up and turned as she headed for the door. Before she could leave he grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her back down on the bed to sit.

"Don't you dare fucking touch me!" She yanked her arm away and shoved him away by his chest.

He grabbed a hold of her wrists again before she could start swinging. "For somebody who's bold with their hands, you have a lot to say!" He taunted, holding her arms together with one hand and held her chin up with the other so she was forced to made eye-contact with him.

"You want to come in here and try to make me feel like a fool by approaching me in the shower like that? And then when you get an answer you don't like you want to storm with out of your little tantrums?" He loosened his grip on her arms once he felt her really struggling.

I don't want to be near a man who only married me to be some sort of trophy!" She screeched and swung her head away from him as she continued to wiggle, desperately trying to escape from his arms. When she seemed to tire herself out is when he finally released her from his grip.

"I wasn't finished explaining. Shut up and listen. I'll dismiss you from this bed when I'm finished speaking," He ordered her.

She rubbed her arms, glancing down at them. "I'm not a ch--"

"If you're going to act like a child I'm going to speak to you like one! Do you understand?"

Her shoulders sagged at his words. She could feel his cold stare boring into her as she nodded. Seeing that his temper was worsening when she lashed back at him she stayed quiet just to hear his full response.

Seto watched Cameron a moment to see her what kind of other comebacks he was going to get. Seeing that she was finally being cooperative he leaned his back and crossed his arms to make himself more comfortable as he cleared his throat and continued.

"I also liked your credentials. You're not a purebred but you tend to carry an elegance in public. Behind closed doors with me? Not so much. But needless to say that you fit the criteria I was looking for. You're not pampered like the other woman I've encountered. You enjoy family structure. That's why Mokuba likes you so well. With business matters, you're very obedient. Your temper could use some work but overall I think you fit what I was looking for," Seto brushed his fingers through his hair that had dried now, leaning towards the headboard. He kept his gaze on his wife as he could tell that she was thinking hard about what he had just said.

"But do you love me?" She questioned, finally looking up at him harshly.

"What? Did you not just hear me?" He scoffed at her.

"I understand you like me for my pedigree and good looks. But do you actually have feelings for me? Like if I left would you be hurt?" She asked.

He stared at her blankly a moment taking the time to think about her question. He never really took into consideration of being in love. He wasn't against the idea even though he thought parts of the concept were silly. He was brought back to reality when the image of his wife was crumbling into tears in front of him.

"Why are you crying? There's no reason for it," He froze nervously, taken back by her sudden emotional display.

"I don't want to be in a loveless marriage! Why even be married at all!" She lowered her head as the tears dripped onto her bare legs. Her hair fell into her face, hiding from him.

He stood up straight, annoyed by her ignorance. "Don't act like you were forced into this marriage! If you really didn't want to be my wife you would have taken it to court and I wouldn't have fought it. I wouldn't marry a woman against her free will."

She shot her head up and stared intensely at him. "That's not the point Seto!" She spoke with tears still streaming down her face. She wiped them as she cried.

"Then what is the point? You want me to tell you that I love you? Is that it? Will that make you stop these outrageous outbursts in the middle of the night?" He was honestly clueless about what she wanted him to say that would make her feel better. He was a man who could crack the code to any game that was thrown at him but when it came to the affairs of the heart he was losing to an overly emotional woman.

"I just want us to be a normal loving married couple!" She started to sob, turning her face back away from him as she continuously wiped her face.

Without a word he got up from the bed and picked up a box of tissues from the top of his dresser and handed them to her.

"Wipe your face. Your nose is starting to get snotty," He said calmly, sitting back down next to her.

She relentlessly took them from him and set the box in her lap as she used the tissues to wipe her face. He sat next to her silently for a few minutes. In any normal situation it'd be a good time for a husband to embrace his crying wife but knowing her violent outbursts to sudden motions towards her Seto stayed still.

"I'm going back to my room," She spoke once she composed herself again, keeping a tissue to her nose.

"I would prefer you stay here with me," He didn't mind the idea of her leaving to her room if that's what she truly wanted but would rather have her there with him as a sign of compassion since his words didn't comfort her.

"What for?" She narrowed her eyes at him, tossing the box of tissues onto the bed for him to catch.

Seto caught the box with ease, placing it on the end table. "Because that's what 'normal' loving married couples do," He answered mockingly.

"Yeah, well we aren't one," She gripped the bundle of tissues used in her hand and stood back up and headed for the door.

He remained seated and let her go. Seto got up calmly once she made it halfway there. He strode past her and rested a raised arm over the doorway, standing in the way of the entrance and peered down at her. She took a step back, squinting at him with such revulsion.

"Move Seto. I don't want to even look at your idiotic face!" She shouted and turned her back to him with crossed arms as she knew if she made any aggressive moves he would counteract.

He smiled smugly, feeling satisfied that he was finally getting her to surrender. He left the doorway and stepped close to her from behind. "How am I ever supposed to love you if you're so aggressive?" He arched his back to whisper into her ear, brushing his lips against her bare shoulder and kissed her skin. It caused Cameron to shiver only stiffening more as she was still upset.

"Don't try to be manipulative now!" She jerked her shoulder away from him.

He let out a deep chuckle getting amusement of her using his own words against him. "I'm fond of you because you don't see me as Kaiba," He told her in a hushed tone, keeping a close distance to her.

Her eyes widened in confusion, turning her head to look up at him. "What do you mean?" She kept her arms crossed, keeping herself guarded.

"As in you don't care about my title. You just see me who I am and I like that. You don't act intimidated by me. I didn't want a wife that'd just submit to everything I say. I wanted somebody stand beside me," He paused. "Even if she has to wear seven-inch stilettos to do so," He smirked.

His sudden lightheartedness brought a smile to Cameron's face. "You like me because I challenge you?" She asked, turning to face him now.

He reached his hand down to brush her hair out of her face. "Not exactly. Though, it proves you can stand up for yourself. Which is an important Kaiba trait," He rubbed the back of his neck with a yawn as he headed back to his bed.

"I hope those words help you because that's the end of what I have to say on the matter tonight," He said pulling over his covers. Cameron tightened her fist up a bit and hesitantly walked back towards him. She tossed her dirty tissues in the small trash pail by the dresser as she crawled back onto the bed.

"What's this?" Seto cocked his head to her as he was now comfortably under his covers.

"I've decided I wanted to stay," She mumbled as she slipped under the covers with him.

Seto shifted his body to make more room for Cameron and stretched his arm over her and pulled her close to his chest.

"You don't need your pillow?" He glanced down at her.

She peeked her face up at him. "No, I really don't want to get up and walk three miles to my room," She slumped back into his chest with a grumble.

He rubbed up against her back and ran his fingers through her hair to squeeze her neck lovingly. "You can just leave a pillow in here if you want," He said, kissing the top of her head. She kissed his chest in response before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite chapters to write, to be honest. It's the real "meat and potatoes" of the storyline so far. There are a lot of fics where Kaiba is shown as a completely selfish lusty character. And I wanted mine to be caring Kaiba. To where he has a hard shell but he's still a soft human being inside. Ya' know?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more to show who Cam is as a character. And I also wanted some brotherly/family bonding.

During the night Seto stirred in his sleep, revisiting old memories in his subconscious. He rolled over in his sheets covered in sweat. His eyes shot open in shock with hyperventilating. His eyes darted across the room as he felt the sheets in panic. He sat up abruptly, arching his back to rub his face with his hands. He closed his eyes tightly trying to control himself. He took in a silent inhale as his trembling started to subside. He rubbed his face, slowly removing them from his eyes and focused through the darkness. His heart race decreased as he finally recognized his surroundings again. He brushed his fingers through his hair with his eyes finally settling back on down onto his bed only just realizing that Cameron was gone. Panic struck again in his chest as he hurried out of bed and left his room, stepping into the hallway. He headed straight to her bedroom and swung open her door. There was a lump under the covers with her long brunette hair spread out over her blankets. Seto felt a sense of relief when he saw the sleeping form of his wife under the covers.

Though, still feeling uneasy for the unknown reason of why she left his bedroom in the first place. He kept his eyes locked on her as he closed the door slowly and turned away. He froze in the hallway staying in deep thought of what happened and why he suddenly woke up. Why are bad memories flooding his subconscious again? Why Cameron left his room after seeming comfortable again. A million things rushed through his brain all at once only to be interrupted by the music playing in the distance. It was a sign that Mokuba was home.

When Seto finally made it to Mokuba's room on the East side of the upstairs he knocked on the door first before opening.

"Your music is so loud I can hear it from my side," He stared at Mokuba through the slit of the ajar door.

The younger Kaiba was lounging comfortably on his untidy bed. He was dressed in dark gray jogging pants with deep pockets and a purple sleeveless hoodie that had a large high hood in the back. His hair was braided which meant that he had been with Hyori that night. His laptop was on his lap as he was looking over portfolios of potential Kaiba Corp employees. When he made eye-contact with Seto he lowered the music right away.

"Sorry, were you up?" He asked, sliding his laptop aside as his brother entered his room.

"I just woke up," He said, rubbing his face and sat on the edge of the bed. "Did you just come home?" He dropped his arm down over his leg and stared tiredly at his brother.

"Yep, I just finished working out. Thought I'd come home instead of heading to the penthouse," He gave a small smile, stretching his arms up behind his head and twisted his neck to the side letting out a loud crack.

"I see," Seto's eyes drooped, bowing his head slightly as he sat there in silence with his brother. Mokuba frowned, turning off the music from his laptop completely and sunk down into the covers of his bed.

"Did you have a night terror?" Mokuba asked gently, resting his arm on his forehead.

Seto kept quiet, keeping his eyes lowered in thought as he slowly nodded in response to his brother. "Yeah," He perked his head and turned it to Mokuba.

"Am I that easy to read?" He gave a pained chuckle, bringing his hand back up to his face.

Mokuba shrugged. "Did you and Cam have a good night?" He crossed his leg over, his feet touching his brother's lower back lightly.

"Somewhat? She interrogated me in the shower--"

"Whaaaaat!" Mokuba grinned big and laughed.

"Yes, she said it was the best place to talk about the marriage contract," He turned his body to the side to look over at Mokuba.

"Maybe because in the shower you can't run away or tell her you're busy with something else?" He moved his feet out of the way for Seto to rest his hand on the mattress.

"She did it to feel superior. Catching me completely off guard like I was her prey. She's treating our marriage like a game. And I'm not going to tolerate it," His voice gruff as he balled his fist.

"Oh," Mokuba folded his hands over his chest, eyes wide with concern. "You're not going to divorce her are you?"

"Of course not. She's obnoxious with me but in the public eye, she's fine. Plus, it's too early in the marriage to even consider taking legal action."

"Why was she so upset about the marriage contract anyway?" Mokuba rolled onto his side and sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed to sit with his brother.

"Because she's insecure. She thinks I married her for her family's high stock value. Like I care about her family's investment banking," he snorted and shifted a bit for the younger Kaiba to sit.

"And I'm guessing you told her that?" Mokuba asked, leaning back in his hands.

"Yes. And then she was upset about why I married her when I found out about her sister Jenna no longer being my bride."

"Jenna?" Mokuba questioned with a blink, thinking a moment. "Jenna is her oldest sister, right? Wait--what? Were you suppose to marry her instead? I never knew that."

"Because it's not important. Jenna is much older than me anyway. She eloped with some schmuck she worked for. If I was assigned to her I wouldn't have married her anyway. Cameron thinks too much with her heart and not with her brain. It's getting in the way of our relationship."

"I'm sure she doesn't want to feel like second best. You should know what that feels like. And it's not like you guys married under normal circumstances. She tells me a lot that she just wants things to work out between you guys."

Seto laid back onto Mokuba's bed, resting his weary body. His eyes had stayed drooped as exhaustion clearly showed over his face. "I know, she told me that," He closed his eyes.

"I'm not a love expert or anything but maybe you should do something romantic with her? To help her feel secure," At this point, the younger Kaiba's back was turned to his brother's as he got a grunt in response. He turned around to see that exhaustion had taken Seto into a light slumber. A frown stretched on Mokuba's face standing up from the bed.

"Aw come on Seto! You hog the whole bed!" He picked up a pillow and tossed it onto his face playfully not getting any reaction Mokuba accepted his brother's presence.

\--

The next morning Mokuba awoke with Seto no longer hogging his bed. Not surprised that the older Kaiba had left in the middle of the night to go back to his own room. After taking a shower and dressing in casual clothing which included jeans and t-shirt Mokuba strolled through the hallway, heading towards the west wing and stopped by Cameron's room and stood in the threshold where the door was cracked open.

"You talkin' to me?" He took hold of the doorknob, poking his face through the crack. Cameron was sitting criss cross on her bed with her blankets scrunched around her. She was looking down and skimming through pages of a large book that had a gold spiral spine. A couple of smaller books were beside her on the bed along with a decorated shoe box. She was still wearing her nightgown with a large stuffed Fluffal lion plush laying across her lap. It was a gift that was won from Kaiba Land from Seto who only won it after being challenged by Cameron, who accused him of having bad aim.

She was taken back, surprised by Mokuba at first and quickly grinned at his greeting. "You talkin' to me?" She repeated.

Mokuba opened the door slowly and stepped in with a confident stance. "You talkin' to me?" He patted his chest to gesture to himself and looked behind his shoulder and back at her. "Then who the hell else are you talking to?" He proceeded to quote the speech from Taxi Driver, walking up to her bedside.

"Well, I'm the only one here. Who the hell else are you talkin' to?" He glanced down at the page in her book, it was a photo album. There was an array of photos that were lined up neatly. He wrapped an arm around Cameron's shoulder and pulled her close into a hug. She leaned her side close to him and hugged back with both arms around his waist.

"Good morning," She smiled, slipping away.

"Morning, are you feeling homesick?" Mokuba asked, pointing down to the page that held photos of Cameron's siblings. he recognized their faces enough from the wedding.

"A little bit," She kept a faint smile on her face, keeping the corner of the page between her fingers as she was getting ready to flip it. "Would you like to look at it?" She asked, closing the album and held the album up to the younger Kaiba.

"Sure," Mokuba smiled, taking a seat on the side of the bed and took the album from her. He glanced at the aged cover. It said C'est La Vie on the front in silver foil letters in calligraphy writing. When he opened it the first couple of pages it had pictures of a pre-teen looking Cameron with a dark red headed girl with green eyes. Most pictures were of poor quality due to the amateur photo work used from a disposable camera.

"Oh, she was one of your bridesmaid's," He tapped at a photo of the two girls wearing hoodies in the rain. "R-Roxanne?" Mokuba stuttered trying to pronounce her name correctly.

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, Roxy. We've been good friends for a lot of years," She said, flipping the page of the album. The next photo took up a whole page. It was a group picture of her all six of her siblings with Cameron included. This photo was more professional. The background was very green, looking like it was either spring or summer. Front and center of the large group was a tall slender blond with side bangs with her hair pulled back. She had blue eyes and wearing graduation robe with a cap on. She held a diploma in her hands to the camera with a smile. Beside her were two young men, both had an arm wrapped around her shoulder. They looked to be twins. Both having the same pigment as Cameron but the brother on the left had his hair slicked back and dyed lime green hair with an unenthused look on his face while the one on the right had his natural brunette hair fairly long and tied back with a bright smile. Mokuba recognized the blond right away and pointed to her.

"Jenna," He said softly.

"Yep, it was her graduation from Princeton," Cameron leaned over a bit to look at the photo better.

Mokuba nodded. "That is the one who taught you how to cook. Right?" He pointed to the twin with the green hair.

Cameron shook her head with a grin. "Nooo! That's Leo. He barely eats!" She pointed to the other twin. "Tony is the one who taught me how to cook. He's actually a baker. His husband is a chef. They make a good team," She kept her eyes on the image of her brother with fondness.

Mokuba smiled at Cameron's pleasant expression. "How do you keep track of so many siblings? Do you remember them all?" He asked in seriousness.

Cameron laughed at the comment. "Of course I do! I guess when you're born into it you don't think much of it? It was tough living with them. I'm the fourth oldest so I feel more like an older sister than a little sister," She said, starting to go down the line of siblings. "Autumn," She pointed to the girl on the right side next to Tony. She was blond with short hair and gold eyes. She was pale like Jenna.

"She was your other bridesmaids," Mokuba said from memory and pointed to the tall blond boy with the glasses. "Greggory. He's my age. And likes computers."

"Yes, he can be a little brat sometimes," She skipped past herself in the picture who was by Leo's side and pointed to the last sibling at the end. "My brother CJ," The brunette boy with blue eyes. He had a cheeky grin on his face in the photo. Wearing a backward baseball cap while wearing a suit. He was short like Cameron. "He's the littlest out of all of us. But he's the biggest brat. I want to slap him in the mouth most times."

"Is Tony your favorite brother?" Mokuba asked, taking a look at the page beside her that had individual photos of her siblings during what seemed to be Christmas along with some dry pressed wildflowers on the blank spots in the pictures.

Cameron stayed quiet a moment. "Maybe my second favorite," She answered honestly and turned the page of the album.

Mokuba perked his head as one of the young maids walked past. "Excuse me, Keiko!" He called out in Japanese. The maid took a few steps backward and turned her attention to Mokuba with a smile.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Can you please bring up some tea and something to snack on for breakfast please?" He asked.

"Of course!" Keiko answered, heading to the staircase of to the downstairs.

\--

A short amount of time passed as Mokuba stayed in Cameron's room. He enjoyed listening to the stories that went with the photos she had saved. Some of them included a picture of her at a train station with two Latino men on each side hugging her. She was the only one smiling as the other two were making ugly faces at the camera. She had explained that the man on the right of her was the first boyfriend she had during college. While the other was a friend who took medical studies with her. There were several photos from Cameron's college days. There was a photo of her ex posing at an old kitchen table flexing his arm to show off his muscles. He was a good-looking American soldier. With a buzz cut and blue eyes. That was a photo Cameron didn't remember saving and had expressed regret keeping since it was somebody she'd rather not look back at.

At this time is when Seto had awoken from his office. Not being able to sleep after waking up from Mokuba's bed last night he decided to go to his office and catch up on some accounting work instead of wasting the effort in forcing himself back to sleep. He rubbed his eyes as he closed his office door behind him. His face looked drawn from tiredness, back feeling stiff from falling asleep upright in his office chair. He slumped a bit as he walked feeling heavy from exhaustion. He slowed his pace once he made it close to Cameron's room. The door was still open from earlier when Mokuba had first entered.

alternative 90s music was playing lowly from Cameron's laptop that was placed on white country style desk against the middle wall below the window. A steel cart was parked by the desk where a pot of hot water and a box of assorted teas was displayed. There were slices of whole grain toast set on a plate with peanut butter and hazelnut spread on them. Along with a large bowl of mixed fruit. Mokuba was now seated on the hardwood floor, flipping through a smaller album that contained photos from Cameron's life in England. A plate with a half-eaten piece of toast with hazelnut spread and strawberries on top of was by his foot.

"You're really lucky to have all these saved. Me and Seto don't have photo albums like this," He explained, looking at a darkened picture of the Eiffel Tower with Cameron's cousin Ruden in front of it.

"I've seen plenty of photos of you and Seto. Maybe we can print some out and put the photos in an album," She suggested as she bit into a piece of her own toast that was also topped with fruit. She caught a glimpse of Seto from the corner of her eye.

"God! You look like a ghost! You almost scared me!" Cameron let out a laugh, setting her plate to the side on her end table.

Seto said nothing, walking into the room and took a look around before sitting on the bed next to Cameron and in front of Mokuba.

"How you doin' bro? You look like hell," The younger Kaiba looked up at his brother, keeping the album rested on his knee.

"No kidding?" Seto grumbled lowly.

"He's still quick with the comebacks. Can't be that tired," Cam teased, taking a sip of tea and setting the cup back down on the end table as she rested her head on her husband's upper arm.

Seto shot Cameron an unimpressed look from the side of his eyes but kept quiet, still displeased by her emotional outburst from last night but didn't want to start an argument in front of Mokuba.

"It's Sunday. So you can sleep in Seto," His brother suggested seeing the notably dark circles under the Older Kaiba's eyes.

"Maybe later," Seto titled his head to the side to rub his sore neck. Cameron slipped off the bed and walked to the cart, picking up a piece of toast.

"What would you like on it, Seto? Peanut butter?" She asked, setting the toast on a plate.

"Yeah, whatever," He mumbled lowly, viewing the photos as Mokuba flipped through the small album.

She smoothed some peanut butter on the toast and placed banana slices on top and walked back to the bed, holding out the plate to him. Seto unfolded his arms and took it from her.

"Thank you," He bit into the toast and set it back down on the plate. "This is what you two have been doing all morning?"

"Yeah, Cam is a little homesick. Plus, it's fun looking at old memories," Mokuba smiled up at Seto again only having it fade away quickly seeing his brother's cold expression.

"Why would you be homesick? There was nothing for you in America," He scoffed, glancing at her.

"Wow, you even have a big jackass on your day off?" Cam frowned with a harsh expression.

"He's most likely cranky because he didn't sleep well," Mokuba tried to smooth things over, reaching up to the end table to sip at his own teacup.

"Don't try to defend him Mokuba. You know it yourself that your brother is always rude," She closed the larger photo album and stood up to put it away in her closet.

"I'm stating a fact. Why hang on to such insignificant things? They are not of importance anymore. It's just clutter," He shifted his body a bit and took notice of the other small album that had a photo of a duck framed in the middle of it.

Cameron opened the closet and set the photo album on one of the lower shelves. She turned around to give him a critical look. "Is this coming from a man who carried his baby brother's picture around his neck for years? Really? If you're going to judge me at least don't be hypocritical."

"I'm not being hypocritical. Mokuba is obviously great importance to me. So that photo will always matter. You have frivolous photos of landscapes and people you no longer associate with," His tone was dry and harsh.

Mokuba let out a sigh, closing the album he was looking at and stood up as he picked up his empty plate and set it on the cart and headed to the closet to place the album on top of the gold one Cameron had already put away.

His logic was flawed. Both Cameron and Mokuba knew that. From all the years of Seto's isolated thoughts of what bonds and social interaction were hadn't changed as much as everybody would like to hope. His brain at some point was still programmed to understand that human attachments were senseless. Those robotic tendencies that he used to survive Gozaburo had not left him completely. And maybe it never will. That was the problem Cameron felt with their marriage. Seto treated it like a business agreement than trying to create a real relationship.

"What about that kid Yugi?" She grabbed the other small album and shoe box, placing it back in the closet.

"What about him?" Seto asked gruffly.

"Didn't you spend a year or something crying over him because he went missing?" She closed the closet with a bang.

Mokuba face palmed as she spoke. "Cam--that was Atem. He's no longer here," He rubbed his hand down his face slowly.

"Oh, What's the difference? Aren't they the same person?" Cameron turned her head to look at both of them in confusion.

"If you're going to try to shoot me down then at least know what you're talking about," Seto picked up his plate of unfinished toast and set it down on the cart. "Foolish girl," he scoffed.

Mokuba stayed by the closet door and tried to explain the best he could to Cameron. "So, Atem was a spirit who lived in the millennium puzzle Yugi owned. They aren't the same person. Eventually, Atem left our world and went back to his past life. And Seto went through a phase where he was determined to duel him one last time and--"

"Okay, whoa. Whatever, Yugi isn't Atem. Even so. You still were obsessed with him weren't you?"

Seto glared. "Don't compare me to something I've done 7 years ago. I don't carry keep-sakes around and dwell on the past like you do. I suggest you stop living in the past. It's not going to help you out in the future," He turned his nose up at her and sharply turned out of her room.

Cameron stood the defeated and turned her attention back to Mokuba. "Well, I guess I understand why you guys never had any photo albums."

Mokuba let out a dry laugh in response.

\--

After apologizing a half a dozen times Mokuba had left Cameron alone in the Kaiba Mansion with an ill-tempered Seto. He hugged her goodbye before leaving. It was the middle of the afternoon where Cameron found herself curled up on the couch of the living room with a gaming channel playing on TV. She only used background noise as she scrolled through her social media for a while. Finally, she put her phone in the back pocket of her pants and went to search for her husband. She looked over his usual spots first and ended up asking one of the maids where his whereabouts were. She directed Cameron to the indoor pool as the brunette skeptically made her way over to the back part of the mansion on the first floor. When she pushed open the glass doors she could see Seto lounging in the hot tub from afar.

"There you are! What are you doing? Hiding?" She asked, walking around the pool and stopped in front of the round surfaced hot tub.

"Yes," He half-joked, keeping his eyes closed as he let the pressure of the jets from the hot tub hit into his back.

"Mokuba told me before he left that if I crack your back you might lighten up," She crossed her arms, feeling a bit out of place since she was dressed in a cardigan.

"You only came to look for me after Mokuba left?" He slowly opened his eyes with a smirk, arms laid on the back of the rustic tile wall of the hot tub.

"Why would I want to spend time when you're so judgemental?" She frowned at him.

He ignored her comment. "Where'd Mokuba go?" He asked calmly.

"He said he was going to spend time with his friends," She shrugged, noticing how relaxed her husband seemed now.

"What friends?" He raised a brow, straightening his back a bit.

"Gee, I don't know. I didn't ask because you know. He's an adult now?" Her voice was sing-songy clearly being sarcastic.

His stare on her quickly became dull. "It's not a big deal. He's just going to post wherever he is online later anyway," He sunk back down into the jets.

"You should be studying your Japanese," He added.

"It's Sunday. No work is to be done on Sunday," She shot back.

There was no quip back from her husband as he was clearly enjoying himself. She stepped closer.

"May I join you?" She asked sweetly.

"You don't like the water," He peeked open an eye to her.

"I don't. But it's Sunday and I want to spend some time with you now that you don't seem to be cranky," She replied.

He shrugged off her answer. "If you must," He closed his eye again and relaxed.

Cameron disappeared to a small changing room connected to the indoor pool. She pulled out a black frilled bikini that was neatly placed in a beach bag along with a large towel. She undressed and slipped into her bikini and tied her hair up in a bun. Seto only opened his eyes again once he felt the motion of the water change when Cameron snuck into the water, sitting on the stone seat next to him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She gave a coy smile, strangely feeling a bit uneasy.

He slowly blinked, glancing away from her with a cool expression. "Sorry," He lowered an arm back into the water and loosely draped it around her waist. She accepted his sign of affection and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Mokuba said I should stand on your back to crack it," She spoke softly, curling her hands to his chest as well.

Seto gave a genuine chuckle to that. "That's because he used to do the same when he was younger. He's too big now," He rubbed her lower back.

Cameron shivered at his touch, finding relaxation from his caress. "He'd crush you now," She smiled into his skin, pressing her palms into his chest.

"I know," He closed his eyes once more. "He used to lay in the middle of my back too sometimes."

"Why would he do that?"

"It helped me sleep. I like the feeling of the pressure on my back," He pulled her closer to prop his chin on top of her head.

She stretched her arms up to place her hands on the back of his neck gently, hiding her face into his neck. "Seto," She squeaked out, glancing up at him.

"Mh?" he moved his chin off her head and looked down at her tiredly.

She slid her hands away from his neck and cupped his face as she perked her head up to kiss his lips. "Was it my fault that you lost sleep?" She whispered to him.

"What? Don't be ridiculous," His tone was softer but still had a cutting edge to it. His stare was dull as he took hold of her hands and placed them in her lap.

"Just because you left in the middle of the night doesn't mean I lost sleep over it," He said in almost disgust and moved in close to her causing to leaned into the corner of the hot tub.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you? That's what Mokuba said what happened," She made eye-contact with him.

Seto rolled his eyes at Mokuba's loose lips, slipping his hands under the water to grab hold of Cameron's waist gently and kissed her back finally.

She placed her hands back on the nape of his neck, holding the kiss a moment longer before he slipped his face away, having his nose touched hers.

"It's not the first time I've lost sleep. I've been sleeping alone for years Cameron. What makes you think you're the main reason for my insomnia?" He ran his fingers up her sides slowly causing her to shutter. Secretly amusing him.

"Because I caused you a lot of stress last night and I'm sorry," She lowered her eyes away from his face.

"I have stress every day. You're not the main source. Even though you could be quite obnoxious at times," He tapped under her chin to make her look back up at him flustered as he caught her lips in another kiss, slowly deepening it and pressed her into the jets of the hot tub.

Cameron was caught off guard, letting a soft moan escape her mouth as she practically melted into his arms. She squinted up at him contently as she gradually closed her eyes, feeding into the kiss only having her husband become slightly more aggressive with his mouth and suddenly broke the kiss making her gasp. He smiled down at her smugly, kissing her temple first and then down her neck tenderly.

"I'm sorry I haven't been a very good wife," She whimpered with a blush, keeping a hand on the back of his neck as her hand crept upwards to play with strands of his hair.

He peeked his eyes up at her. "It's alright. Because I haven't been a very good husband either," He admitted, kissing his wife's forehead.


	8. Chapter 8

The night sky was different shades of grey with the clouds only being faintly seen overlapping the full moon. Crowds of men and women dressed in ballroom attire were on the dock boarding the cruise ship that was holding the annual charity event that Kaiba Corp Sponsored. Seto was seen at the entrance. Dressed in a tailored black suit, white collar and navy blue tie. Mokuba had talked him out of his signature blue and white color scheme. He had his phone in hand, checking his messages to see that Cameron had never answered him. He glared down at his smartphone screen.

"Tsk, damned woman," He grumbled to himself, tucking his phone into his pocket quickly as the Charisma Complex group had marched up the metal ramp that leads up to the ship's entrance. All of them dressed in black and gold, displaying their company colors. Hyori had approached Seto first with her Idol group in the back of her filming with a small camcorder, talking amongst themselves in Korean. The young woman wore a sheath style dress, off the shoulder with one sleeve. The main color is black and outlined in a glimmery gold. Looking like a performance dress.

"Hi, Seto! I'm sorry to hear that Mokuba wasn't able to attend," She took hold of the young CEO's hand with a charming smile.

He gave her hand a firm shake back. "Yes, he had to tend to other company matters considering that I'm here. He's taking my place tonight," He took notice of the Idol group that was vlogging. Giving an intimidating stare at them as he was being filmed in the background. It caused the three boys to quickly shift away from his view.

"Don't mind them. They do a live vlog every night for their fans," Gabe walked up to Hyori, resting an arm on her shoulder casually. He wore a black tux with the same gold border design around it as his work colleague.

Ji-hun, the creator of Charisma Complex walked in next to his very elegant looking wife. He carried a little girl in his arms as his wife held the hand of another girl who only seemed to be a few years older than the toddler being carried. They were his daughters. Seto had met them before. It was a charity event for children so seeing the young girls were to be expected. Even though Kaiba Corp was working in conjunction with the entertainment industry the two men weren't very friendly to one another. Ji-hun considered Seto to be a big blowhard while Seto thought Ji-hun was a cop-out.

"Good evening Kaiba, it's a beautiful night for an event," He put a hand out to Seto, keeping a tight grip on his small daughter in his arms.

"Evening Reader," He gave a firm handshake back and lowered his attention to the girl in his arms that was playing with her father's tie.

"Hello Eunseo," Seto said gently in Korean for the girl to understand, bending over slightly to made level with the child.

The little girl's almond-shaped eyes wondered up to Seto's unfamiliar face in confusion, gripping onto the gold tie closer to her chest with a frown. She looked up at Ji-Hun for security.

He smiled down at her, petting the back of her head for comfort. "Don't be shy Eunseo. You've met Mr.Kaiba before. You've been to his amusement park plenty times. Remember?" He tried to reassure his daughter.

Eunseo looked back over at Seto with worried eyes, quickly leaning closer to her father's chest to hide her face.

Seto smiled, standing back upright. "That's okay. Maybe next time you'll recognize me," A soft chuckle escaped him.

"Where is your wife?" Ji-Hun asked, looking to the side as Hyori appeared with open arms to hold Eunseo. He gingerly passed her over to his sister as Eunseo willingly, almost exciting wrapped her arms around Hyori's shoulders.

"She had to finish up a few things before coming," Seto lied, the truth has he had no idea where his wife was and even if she was coming. She had been acting very cold this week and her moods were unpredictable.

"Ah, I see. I'll be looking forward to seeing her. She's very pleasant to talk to," Ji-hun gave a half smile, turning away as his older daughter took a hold his hand with her little one as he walked off with her.

Seto watched Ji-hun walk off with disdain, slipping his hands into his pockets he started walking to the head table. He glanced over at Hyori swinging Eunseo in the air as Gabe, the idiotic foreigner was behind her making funny faces to the child. He glanced down at his watch and was greeted by Yugi waving at him when he looked up. He was sitting at a large long banquet dressed in a white cloth. The shorter man wore a plum-colored suit with black studs around the lapel. His hair wasn't spiked up as it typically was. It was tied back into a small sub of a ponytail. A familiar face was next to Yugi. Seto was least enthused to see.

"I'm not surprised that you'd have the mutt as your plus one Yugi," Seto sneered, not bothering to make eye-contact to another man at the table as he sat down and pushed in his chair.

Jonouchi shot up from the table, pounding a fist down. "Why don't you say that to my face douchebag!" He barked out.

Seto turned his eyes up to the blond, smirking as a waitress walked by and poured him a glass of wine. "I said, I'm not surprised you're here. Mutt," He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip. To Seto's dismay, Jonouchi was wearing a very similar style suit to his. The only difference was that his tie was a slim black.

"I'd rather Joey since Anzu is still in America," Yugi said gently with a smile, ignoring his friend's outburst.

"You're still holding out on her huh? I guess you really are dreamer Yugi," He closed his eyes keeping his smirk with a shrug. He took another sip of wine as Jonouchi leaned in close to him, pressing his palms flat to the table.

"Talking a lot of smack for somebody who doesn't even have a date!" Jonouchi snatched a wine glass that was filled.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Please! At least I'm nobody's rebound."

Yugi stiffened his shoulders keeping an uncertain smile on his face. "Please, you two. Can't we all just get along? It's a charity event after all."

Seto and Jounouchi kept an intense glare to one another. "No!" They both shouted in unison causing Yugi to cringe in his seat until his attention was brought up to Cameron and Isono that had appeared behind Seto. Cameron had her hand gripped to the back of her husband's chair as Isono was beside her panting heavily from sprinting up the ramp to make it aboard. He was holding her duffle bag in his hands letting it drop to the floor with a thud and an exasperated sigh.

"Evening Cameron! How are you?" Yugi spoke to her in English, smiling brightly at her.

The greeting caused Seto to turn sharply in his seat, looking over at his wife critically. He grabbed her wrist gently when she leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"What took you so long?" He growled lowly.

"I didn't want to come," She kept her face close to his as she whispered with a smile.

He released her arm, letting her stand up straight. Cameron turned to Isono and asked for him to bring her bag to the room her and Seto were staying in that night. Seto scanned his wife's figure, observing that she took the time to coordinate colors of her outfit to match his suit. It was a white empire style dress with a navy blue ribbon tied around her upper waist. A boat neckline that was open back with sheer lace covering the opening along with the tops of her shoulders. Her husband could appreciate the modesty.

Isono nodded in response, following Cameron's request. "I'll be right back!" He said, scurrying off with the duffle bag in his hand. Seto leaned close to his wife again once she was seated next to him.

"He's your bodyguard. Since when did you make Isono your assistant?" He overlooked Cameron's face, noticing the loose strand of hair that hung down her forehead. She had her bangs pulled back out of her face, braided and pinned up.

"Isono doesn't mind. He'd tell me so," She crossed her leg and waved at Yugi with a grin. Seto caught her eye again as he gestured to her forehead to sweep her loose hair out of her face. She nodded and did so.

"I'm well Yugi! How are you? You're looking quite sharp with your hair down," She leaned forward in her seat a bit to keep a focus on the shorter male.

"Thanks, you think so?" Yugi chuckled gently, touching the back of his head. Jounouchi stared at Cameron across the table harshly as he was trying to figure out the situation.

"Yug, who is that chick?" He asked in Japanese, pursing his lips together as he sipped from his wine glass.

"Mh? Kaiba's wife," Yugi answered back in their native tongue pleasantly.

"What! Since when!" He shouted out with wide eyes finding her way back to Cameron.

Seto got the attention of a hostess and asked to fill a glass for his wife. He relaxed back in his chair, draping his arm over the back of Cameron's chair as he stared straight across at Jounouchi intensely. Cameron thanked the hostess, reaching over and grabbing lightly to her husband's arm as she leaned in to whisper to him again.

"Why is Yugi's friend staring at me like that?" She asked her wineglass to her lips.

"Because he's a dog with no class," He sneered, looking at Cameron only for a second as he shot a look at Jounouchi once he spoke again.

"Aye! There's a lot of whispering going on over there! Since when did you get a wife moneybags?" Jounouchi gawked at Seto seriously.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I forgot to invite you to the wedding," Seto smiled smugly, responding to the blond in Japanese.

Not having enough understanding of what was being said Cameron tuned the bickering out. She made eye-contact with Yugi grinning and turned once Isono came back and sat next to her.

"Oh, you think you're real funny huh? I wouldn't want to go to your wedding anyways. Just to watch you get married to some pretentious snob!" Jounouchi blurted out.

Yugi frowned at the comment. "That's not very nice to say Jo--"

"Don't bother Yugi. The mutt's rude comments don't concern the Kaibas," Seto turned his nose up at Jounouchi.

Getting enraged now the blond struck back at the petite brunette. "Hey, Primadonna! What do you even see in rich boy?" He shouted out to her from across the table. Cameron ignored him as she held a quite conversion with Isono.

"What a bitch! She didn't even answer me!" He growled.

"Um, I think that's because she doesn't understand Joey," Yugi said with a nervous smile.

"She doesn't speak Japanese," Seto added in embarrassment, bowing his head to rub his face.

"Well then! I guess she's not so posh after all!" Jounouchi cackled loudly.

Isono perked his head as the other conversion was going on at the table, glancing over at Seto and back at Cameron. "Um, would you like me to translate Mr.Kaiba?" He asked.

"No, it's not necessary. It's just squabble," Seto answered gruffly, crossing his arms now.

"Primadonna I'm talking to you!" Jounouchi called out to Cameron in English now. It caused her to spin her head in question.

"Excuse me?" She stiffened her shoulders in defense.

"You actually like this douchebag or you just married for the money?" He scoffed.

Cameron tilted her head, composing her attitude to keep face. "I don't see how that's any of your concern? You're not part of our marriage," She answered with a slick tone.

"I'm just askin' because you don't really look like a posh bitch. But what another kind of woman would want to marry that arrogant jerk?"

Seto said nothing only watching carefully with dangerous eyes. He'd occasionally glance at his wife to watch her reaction.

"Considering that you don't know me I'd say that whatever your opinion is on my husband isn't what I see in him. And posh bitch?" She laughed. "I'd rather be seen as that than some ignorant ass who judges at first glance," She crossed her arms and pressed her back into her seat, feeling secure when she felt Seto's arm draped over the top of her chair again.

Jounouchi stood from his chair, slamming his palms onto the tabletop. "Why you little--"

"And do us all a favor and tuck in your wrinkled dress shirt. You look like a slob!" She scoffed, brushing away the piece of the fridge that kept falling down on her face.

The blond snapped his head down with a blush to stare at himself, quickly tucking his shirt into his pants and fixed his belt.

Yugi tugged on his friend's arm gently. "Come on now Joey. Don't start any fights. It'll only make you look like a bad guy."

"It's a little too late for that," Seto said smugly.

"Quiet you!" Jounouchi hissed, sitting back down as he continued to fix his belt. "She seems like the right pick for you Kaiba!" He shouted at the taller man back in Japanese as he snatched another glass of wine as a hostess scrolled by.

"Thank you," Seto answered back with a smug smile, pressing his palm to the back of Cameron's shoulders as a sign of affection.

She glanced up at her husband with smiling eyes as she sipped at her wine. She scanned the area waving at Hyori from a large round table from afar that had all of the Charisma Charism Complex family. The Shining Knight idol group still had their broadcast on as Gabe filmed them. Amongst all the luxurious crowd a commoner that stood out. A 20-something-year old wearing a gray knitted sweater with a collar shirt under it and brown scuffed wingtip shoes. He had a professional looking camera on a strap around his neck. He took pictures of the idol group from afar. He must be from the media. Not formally invited due to his clothing. Everytime he snapped a picture he looked down at the back of his camera to check his photos. Once the young man lifted his head up Cameron got a good glimpse of him and realized the worst. She quickly turned her body to the side and whispered to Seto.

"I thought this event was just for people and companies that donated to the charity," She gripped onto his arm for comfort.

He leaned his head closer to speak. "The public could come if they wanted to donate. It's a charity event. We don't discriminate."

She nodded, setting her wine glass down. "I see one of the guys I dated in college. It's awkward," She whispered to him and flashed a glared at Jounouchi as their eyes made contact with the across the table.

"Where?" Seto's gruff voice suddenly hinted surprised as his cold eyes looked around the deck area.

"The guy with the camera. Ben took journalism. He must be here to write an article for the media," She slipped her arm away once she realized that her husband found the man in question.

"Don't stare!" She hissed, slapping his hand on the table gently.

"I'm not," He grumbled back, continuing to lock eyes on the man with a glare. He was average height. Dark brown hair with no style to it. He had that boy next door look, typical taste from Cameron.

"Stop! He's going to notice Seto!" She whined softly, face dropping as Yugi chimed in.

"What are you guys looking at?" He asked innocently, stretching over a bit to join conversion.

Cameron had her mouth opened ready to respond as Seto cut in quick.

"Nothing," Seto answered, sly eyes moving away from the cameraman once he saw him head towards their table.

"You're staring made him notice!" She hissed at her husband quietly.

"No, it didn't. Stop whining," He crossed his arms.

" Yugi Mutou the King of Games himself! A pleasure to meet you here," Ben smiled sincerely at the flashily dressed gentleman, holding his camera in hand downwards.

"Oh, why thank. But please, I'm here to support a good cause not to flaunt my title," He smiled back as he spoke gently.

Seto seethed silently next to Yugi, glancing back at his wife to see that she was turned towards Isono with her head bowed to hide her face.

"I'm sorry! But it's still an honor! Can I take a picture of you and your um--date?" Ben looked over at Jounouchi in confusion and held the camera with both hands.

The blond's eyes narrowed with a frown stretched across his face. "Why you lookin' at me funny?"

"Sure, you can take a picture," Yugi gave a faint unimpressed stare at Jounouchi and scooted his chair closer to him.

As Ben snapped a few photos of the two Seto leaned close to Cameron and gingerly took a hold of her arm. "Don't cower in a corner," He whispered gruffly to her and straightened his posture once Ben motioned over to him.

"Do you mind if I get a picture of you and Yugi first and then you and your date?" Ben asked Seto, eyes wandering to Cameron who was now upright again.

"Cam! How are you doing?" The young photographer's face lit up at her presence.

"I'm well thank you. I'm surprised to see you in Japan," Cameron gave a coy smile, feeling her husband's critical eyes on her.

"I got a chance to travel. I'll be in China by the end of the week. You look beautiful, can I take a photo of you and your husband?" His smile quickly faded as he noticed Seto's unimpressed stare.

"I don't see why not," She glanced over at her husband who stretched his arm around her waist loosely as a silent approval. Cameron quickly posed with him, keeping close and found his hand on her side to place her hand over his.

"Smile!" Ben said cheerfully, placing his camera back over his eye and adjusted the lens. Cameron gave a genuine smile as the comment didn't phase Seto's stone face, only softening his expression a bit.

After taking multiple pictures Ben looked them over and motioned to Yugi and Jounouchi to join them. Seto rolled his eyes, scooting closer to his wife once the other two men became closer. Cameron grabbed onto Isono's arm to have him in the picture. Ben readjusted his camera and snapped a few more pictures.

"Great! Now can we get one without bunny ears?" Ben flipped the camera to show the small screen on the back with Jounouchi putting two fingers up in the back of Seto's head.

Seto spun his head around, giving the blond a deathly glare and stretched his arm over causing Yugi to stiffen in his chair as he slapped Jounouchi wrist hard.

"You dweeb," He scoffed.

"Seto don't start," Cameron grumbled softly, only understanding half of what was going on.

"What the fuck you say! Touchin' me like that rich boy!" Jounouchi shot up from his seat with Yugi quickly standing as well to hold back his larger friend.

"Joey, please! You've both had a few drinks! Contain yourself!" Yugi held onto the blond by his side.

The commotion made Ben politely step away. "Maybe later?" He gave a nervous laugh and made his way back to his table in the back.

Isono looked down at his watch and stood up as well to remind Jounouchi of his presence. "Mrs.Kaiba you're ready to open up the night's festivities?" He offered his hand to help her stand.

"Oh, has time past that fast? Yes! Of course, I'm ready!" She glanced back quickly at Yugi finally calming his friend down as Seto had turned sideways to face away from them with his arms crossed.

"Good luck Cameron!" Yugi released Jounouchi once he had calmed down back into his seat.

"Thanks, Yugi. You can call me Cam by the way," She smiled at the shorter gentleman as she walked past towards the small stage that was set up in front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a lot of fun writing as the rest of the cast of characters. Oh, my God. Love writing Kaiba and Joey's banter back and forth.


	9. Chapter 9

Isono handed Cameron's small packet that contained the speech before she walked up to the stage. When she stood in front of the podium she set the speech down only having it to reference. She greeted the audience in Japanese, an easy phase that Isono taught her beforehand. Being confident enough, knowing that the most popular language understood amongst the people was English she continued. The intro was fairly short only having to introduce the companies that donated and thanking other public figures that decided to show up. That also included the little people, such as Ben. Who didn't necessarily contribute money but by being apart of the media he would put in a good word for the event. She ended off by explaining how proud she was to be part of the Kaiba family now and how it was an honor to be the woman behind Seto. This was part of the speech that her husband didn't write her to say. It was a bit that she decided to add, whether Seto would appreciate the gesture or not was to be decided later. She ended off by thanking the attendance again in Japanese and to enjoy their meals before bowing in respect and stepped off the stage, taking Isono's hand as support while walking down the steps. There was a small applause.

Before Cameron headed back towards the head table Hyori scurried herself over to her and grabbed onto her hands gently. It caused the Western woman to hesitate and stiffen in surprise.

"How come you didn't tell me you spoke Japanese?" She smiled at Mrs.Kaiba.

"I don't. I only know a few words," Cameron admitted with a slight laugh, gripping onto Hyori's hands gently back.

"If you ever want to learn Korean let me know!" She looked over her shoulder, seeing her brother Ji Hun on stage as she slipped her hands away from Cameron.

"Hey! Enjoy your meal and our performance."

Cameron blinked in surprise. "Oh, you're going to sing with your brother?"

Hyori nodded. "Mhm, with Ji Hun. Before Shining Knight performs. It's been awhile since he sang. So it'll be a treat!" She winked with a grin before twirling around on one foot to head towards the stage.

"I'm sure you'll do great! Break a leg," Cameron smiled back only getting a confused expression back from the Korean girl.

"Oh, it's a Western term for good luck. It's bad luck to say 'good luck' So we say 'break a leg!' instead," Cameron tried to explain before Hyori was too far away.

The servers started pouring out from the kitchen and onto the deck with large trays of drinks and appetizers with their arms lifted high up into the air. Isono headed back to the table first, glancing back at Cameron to make sure she was still behind. As she made it halfway back to the head table she noticed her husband no longer in his seat. Once she got closer to her seat she was stopped by the obnoxious blond from before. His tall frame loomed over her, his stance casual.

"Aye, I just wanted to apologize to you. I shouldn't have judge ya' so quickly. I'm sorry," Jonouchi looked down at the small woman in front of him.

Cameron nodded, only being half interested in what he had to say as she bobbed her head back and forth slightly trying to look past the blond Japanese punk. She was disappointed only to get a view of Isono and Yugi both seated at the table.

"Hey! Are you listenin' to me!" He barked at her, his tone becoming harsher as his brows flustered together.

Cameron's eyes slowly wandered towards Jonouchi's face. "Yes, I accept your apologies. I understand the kind of image my husband puts off. I can see why you'd judge me based on how he acts. I'm well aware he acts like a complete tool sometimes. But trust me, that's not his true form," She explained gently.

Jonouchi let out an ugly hearty laugh, pulling Cameron into his side by wrapping his arm around her into somewhat of a hug. "Don't take it personally! I knew rich boy for years! We got some type of love-hate goin' on. He's been pretty cool to my friend Yug. I get'cha!" He squeezed the top of her shoulder tightly as a sign of endearment.

Cameron's face formed a shy smile, tilting her head to the side only having it press into Jonouchi's dress shirt. She slowly pulled away.

"Well, that's good," She touched the back of her hair to make sure the french braid stayed neatly in place. "I don't want to come across rude. But I must ask. Do you happen to come from America?" The man in front of her came across Japanese but his light features an English dialect reminded her of home.

"You're not bein' rude! I'm half American!" He pointed to himself with his thumb. "My mom is the Japanese one and my Dad is American."

Cameron nodded as Jonouchi spoke. "What part of America? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Brooklyn--" The blond began to talk as he was cut off by Cameron butted in.

"New York?" Her eyes widened with a smile.

"Yeah! Is there any other?" He frowned slightly, scratching his nose.

"I'm also from there!" The excitement was clearly visible from on her face.

"Nah! You're pullin' my leg! A high-class broad like you?" Jonouchi gave a half smirk in amusement, pointing towards her.

The short brunette nodded and spun her head around as loud piano music started playing from the main stage. Hyori and Ji-Hun stood together holding mics. Cameron quickly grabbed onto the finger Jonouchi was pointing at her with and gingerly tugged him along back to the head table. Yugi and Isono we're already eating quietly their decadent looking plates of some type of beef, potato, and vegetable. She released Jonouchi as she leaned into Yugi's seat.

"Yugi, do you know where Seto went?" She asked softly, holding the back of his chair.

Yugi looked up at her with his gentle eyes, wiping his mouth with his dining napkin before answering. "No, he just excused himself and left before you even finished your speech," His eyes wandered at Jonouchi who was now back seated next to him.

"Okay, thank you," She patted the back of Yugi's chair as she slid away making eye contact to Isono who looked at her in question and shrugged, also not knowing where her husband had gone to.

Isono turned his body towards Cameron as she slinked past the table and looked back at the deck of the guest tables to see if Seto was mingling with the others. He was nowhere to be seen. She spotted Ben standing to the side by the railing as he snapped photos of Hyori and Ji-Hun singing their duet. When her back was fully turned towards the table Jonouchi piped up.

"Where you goin'!" He called out to Cameron, causing her to look over her shoulder.

"Going to find my husband," She said matter-a-factly before heading further into the back of the deck. She avoided contact with the wandering guests only being stopped a couple times and cut their conversions short as her eyes continued to scan the area. Once she recognized a glimpse of Seto from afar she quickly picked up her pace, picking up the bottom her dress and trotted over to the very back of the deck where his back was turned to the noise and crowd. Once Cameron was close enough to him she slowed her pace.

"Hey!" She let out a small sigh, letting go of the bottom of her dress and leaned into the railing to get a glance at his face.

"Hey," Seto mumbled back, his face was lowered and the glass of wine in hand with his phone in the other. The light from his screen glowed dimly against his face.

Cameron stood sideways, looking at the side of his face in confusion. "I was looking for you everywhere!"

"You could have just texted me," He answered back, uninterested as he took a sip of wine.

His blunt comment sparked anger in his wife."With what pockets Seto?" Her eyes narrowed at him in annoyance knowing damn well that she no place to carry a phone in that dress.

His eyes slowly looked away from his phone and over at her with a smirk growing on his face. He was amused by his own absent-mindedness. "I guess you're right. For once," He chuckled lightly.

Cameron didn't take it light-heartedly. "You're such a jackass Seto!" A frown curved on her face, slapping his arm gently.

He snapped his arm back looking down at her. "Hush! Don't you dare flare up your barbaric attitude here at this public event," He kept his voice lowered but stern.

She took a slight step back, feeling threatened by his intense eyes this time. She didn't know how Seto would react if she ever misbehaved in public like this. The only thing she knew is that he'd be insulted and angry that she put such a bad label on the Kaiba name. And no matter what differences they may have that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Were you not pleased with my speech?" Cameron answered softly, tilting her head a bit as she kept a firm grip on the railing.

Seto raised a brow, tucking his phone back in his pocket. "What do you mean?"

"When I got back to the table Yugi said you left before the speech even finished. Did you get upset and leave?"

Her husband's nose crinkled at her childish comment. "That's idiotic. I can only take so much of the mutt's banter for so long. And I've had better conversations with trading cards than with Yugi."

The short brunette couldn't help but crack a smile. "You've talked to trading cards?--"

"It was a joke, Cameron," He almost hissed in response.

"I know! Don't get so pissy!" She smiled sincerely at him, stepping closer and rested the side of her head on his upper arm.

He stayed still, not saying anything. The song between Ji-Hun and Hyori was now over. Shining Knight, the K-pop group was now performing in the background. The jazzy music boomed through the base speakers. It was giving Seto a more of a headache than he already had. He closed his eyes tightly.

Cameron perked her head up in concern and pressed her palm to the middle of his back for comfort. "Do you want to head back and eat dinner?" She asked gently.

"No, I've lost my appetite," He answered honestly.

"Maybe you got full from all the wine," She gestured to his wineglass having him hold it out for her to take.

"Doubtful," He raised his arm and draped it over her shoulders in a loose embrace.

She took the wine and sipped it, looking out into the rippling waves of the ocean water. "This is nice," She smiled behind the glass that was now stained dark pink from her lipstick and rested her head back against him.

Nothing was spoken from her husband, as he was enjoying the moment too. An occasional breeze past their way. It blew short strands of Cameron's hair out of place, including that stubborn piece that continuously fell across her forehead. For a moment the breeze got strong enough to make Seto squint.

"You feel cold," He ran his fingers along the skin of her arm as he pulled away from her and proceeded to slip his blazer off.

"Oh, my!" She placed a hand on her chest and set the wine glass down gently on the floor as she pleasantly surprised. "What's this now Seto?" She grinned at him, staying still as he draped his blazer over her small shoulders.

"Why do you always act like I'm some kind of brute all the time?" His tone sarcastic but had a hint of disappointment in it.

Cameron's amused expression faded quickly. "I only see you once in awhile Seto. And it's never anything romantic," She grabbed onto the middle of the blazer, holding it closed as she leaned in close and puckered her lips up for him.

"Thank you~" She cooed to her husband.

He gave his cool stare back at her and brushed the loose strand of hair off her forehead before kissing. When she kissed back is when a light from a flash was seen. It made Seto spin his head around and glare at the photographer that had snapped a picture. He was too far away to scold outright. There was no need for words, Seto's death stare was lethal in itself. Ben gave Mr.Kaiba an awkward thumbs up before hurrying off, avoiding any conflict that might have stirred.

Cameron moved her body to the side of him to catch eye-contact. "Please don't ruin the moment," She whispered to him.

He made eye-contact back only having his icy blue eyes shift away from her gaze. "I'm not," He sneered in defense, wrapping his arms around his wife's tiny waist in response to her unexpected embrace.

Shining Knight's performance was no longer as it was only typical DJ music playing now. Rob Stewart's Do Ya think I'm sexy started playing shortly after. By this time Cameron was still keeping warm in Seto's blazer with her back turned to him and pressed against his torso as she swayed to the music, his arms still protectively around her.

"What the hell is this!" Jonouchi flung his arm up in the air, a cocky grin spread across his face as he approached the couple.

Seto's eyes narrowed at the blond instantly. "What do you want loser?" He asked the least impressed, body slightly rocking with Cameron's as she swayed.

"What'cha doin' in the corner? Kissin' or somethin'?" He laughed obnoxiously.

"You're drunk Wheeler go away," Seto warned, clearly disgusted by the blond's display.

Cameron's swaying stopped as she looked up at Seto, holding onto his arm loosely. "What's going on?" She asked with a frown, not following the conversion because they were speaking in their native tongue.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," He said sternly as he glanced down at his wife and directed his harsh stare back at Jonouchi.

"Why you hoggin' her for Kaiba? Don't she wanna dance? Hey! Primadonna! Wanna dance!" His voice got louder at every word.

It made Cameron cringe. "What is he saying?" She asked with concern.

"Speak English idiot," Seto finally spat out as he was getting more frustrated.

Jonouchi squinted, not having Seto's words register at first but understand afterward. "Yo, Cam! Wanna dance?" He finally spoke to her in the language she understood.

Before she answered she glanced up at her husband for approving first. Seto only gave that unphased stare, tightening his lips together in a scowl.

"Why are you looking at me like a child with her father? Go dance if you want to," He slowly slipped his arms away. As soon as Cameron was out of his grasp Jonouchi grabbed her hand playfully.

"Come on!" He started yanking her to the dance floor where Hyori, Gabe, and Yugi could be seen waiting for the two to join them.

Cameron swung her head back, catching the blazer that was now falling off her shoulders and swiftly handed it back to Seto.

"Want to come dance with us?" She stiffened her legs so the tall blond would slow down.

"I only dance to classical music. You know that" He answered, draping his blazer over his arm as he watched them carefully.

"Then you owe me the last slow dance of the night!" She shouted to him as she pointed in her husband's direction. It took no time for her small body to be thrown into the crowd of dancing people.

Seto lowered his head downwards with a smirk, pulling his phone back out to message Mokuba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, paying homage to all traits of the characters I wanted to give Joey pieces of his original Japanese self and also Wayne Grayson's interpretation of him in the English dub. That, of course, goes for all the characters. My Kaiba obvious traits of Eric Stuart in him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The term "maknae" means youngest. For all y'all who aren't in the K-pop fam. Also, can we picture Yugi cutting a rug? It makes me smile!

Hyori wrapped her arms around Cameron's shoulders and nuzzled her face into the back of her neck. "We've been waiting for you!" She squealed, feeling the buzz from the liquor she had been drinking throughout the night.

"She was smoochin' with money-bags in the back," Jonouchi leaned back casually, his words slightly slurred as he looked back and shoved Babka, the leader of Shining Knight away from him when he felt the younger man bump into him.

"Aye, Hyori! Your boys got no manners man!" The blond squawked, trying to avoid getting pushed around on the dance floor.

Babka swerved back to the other two bandmates with ease. They weren't hard to spot as they were wearing flamboyant suits that had small nautical themes printed on them. They had changed earlier from their more traditional black and gold outfits from their performance. Gabe had passed the cameraman job down to Bam-Bam the rapper, who was now pointing it in the direction of Benny, the maknae. He was talking about how there were very few beautiful women at the event and only grumpy businessmen. As for Gabe, he was showing off his fancy footwork to Yugi who was finding it easy copying his moves.

Cameron's face was pressed close to Hyori's face as they snapped a few selfies together, only having Jonouchi photobombed a couple of them. Her eyes wandered to the two dancing.

"Wow, I didn't know The King of Games was also the king of dancing too?" Cameron watched the two doing the running man together.

Cameron's out loud observation caused Shining Knight's camcorder to pan to their Canadian manager and Yugi. Babka proceeded to join them but only having his footwork more exaggerated. His bandmates chuckled at the scene unfolding. Jonouchi rested his elbow on Cameron's shoulder, watching the others dance.

"Yug's girl is a professional dancer. So he learned some dance moves from her," He explained with some pride being found in his tone.

"I didn't know that! Yugi! Dance with me!" Hyori hopped over to the group, pushing Babka playfully out of the way and stretched her arm out to hand Gabe her phone as she grabbed hold of Yugi's hand.

"Okay, sure!" He laughed nervously, trying to keep up with her and twirled Hyori under his arm.

Bam-Bam turned the camcorder to Cameron. "Mrs.Kaiba you look beautiful tonight. Kaiba is a very lucky man," He spoke slowly so his English came out clear for her to understand, letting out a giggle at the end of his sentence.

Cameron looked at the Korean boy with a bit of surprise. "Oh, thank you!" She smiled coyly, waving at the camera. Jonouchi leaned in close to her, taking the full view of the screen of the camera and pushed the camcorder away.

"Go bug somebody else why don't 'cha!" He spat, casting his eyes down to the petite brunette. Cameron looked up at him with a bit of worry.

"Yes?" She asked quietly.

"I asked if you wanted to dance. You still wanna?" He gave her a slick smirk.

"Um, sure," Cameron answered with a nod. Her eyes cast out back to the tables, scanning the area for her husband who was seated with Ji-Hun, his wife, and a few other businessmen. Isono stood in back, keeping a watch out silently. For a split second Seto's critical eyes caught his wife as she was dragged back into the crowd of people.

Body Moves by DNCE was playing now. Hyori broke away Yugi as she was mingling with her Idol group who had finished their vlogging for the night. Gabe was keeping the children of the Charisma Complex company as he shimmied with Inna, the older girl daughter of Ji-Hun. Eunseo, the younger girl had found her way off the dance floor and back to her mother's lap. She kept wide eyes on Seto who she was still shy towards but strangely fascinated by the rigid man.

By this time Cameron had lost herself in the party atmosphere, tugging Jonouchi lightly by his tie as she trotted along to the beat. She spun to face him and laughed at the nonsense that came from his mouth. He had resorted back to talking to her in Japanese and she had given up trying to tell him she didn't understand.

Yugi retreated back to the table where everybody had gathered, sitting next to Seto as he felt more comfortable with him.

"I'm glad I got to know Cam better. She's quite fun," Yugi spoke softly, smiling at his friend.

"Mh," Seto mumbled with uncertainty, arms folded across his chest as he glanced at Yugi and straight ahead on the dance floor. Shining Knight had formed a conga line with Gabe leading it and the others following. Jonouchi was still behind Cameron, holding close to her waist with Hyori the caboose of the line, holding onto the blond's waist. Ben was still drifting around the deck with his camera, crouched down with his lens focused and snapped a few pictures letting out a chuckle, overhearing the group's chatter.

"Yo Yug! Join us, man!" Jonouchi shouted out to his companion, waving his hand out in the air.

"I will in a minute! I'm taking a break!" He answered, taking a sip of water as the conga line paraded by.

"Hangin' with the suit made you a wet blanket!" He yelled out, swaying out of place in the line. Jonouchi's clumsy feet tripped over Ben's scuffed shoes causing him to fall. In his drunken state, he kept a tight grip on Cameron only having her lose her grip on Benny and topple over with the top-heavy blond. Hyori was shoved back by the impact. She shuffled back, arms flailing in the air as she knocked into one of the tables. Cameron let out a loud shrill when she went down. Falling face first into Ben. He never even saw it coming as Jonouchi laid limp on top of them, sandwiching Cameron in the middle. Gabe ran to Hyori's rescue instantly with Shining Knight right behind him. Isono stepped out first to give Mrs.Kaiba a hand but only to be overshadowed by Seto who got up from his chair beforehand. Yugi got up as well, not wanting any more chaos to breakout as he followed behind Seto.

"Joey! Get off! You're heavy!" Cameron whined, squirming as the drunk blond took his time to sit up. Ben's face was smashed into her cleavage. He looked up at her awkwardly with a smile.

"It's been awhile Cam," He chuckled faintly.

"Ha, I suppose so," She blushed at the comment, trying to keep the situation at ease.

Seto grabbed onto Jonouchi aggressively, lifting him up from under his arms and tossed him aside.

"You damn degenerate," He growled lowly and took hold of Cameron, bending down to get a better grip on her. He glared down at Ben making the Westerner's smile to disappear.

Jonouchi finally staggered himself back up, slouching a bit. "Hey! I know an insult when I hear one!" He yelled, swinging at Seto only having him catch his fist with his hand.

He shifted his eyes to Ben with a glare. "Snap a picture. I dare you," He sneered, squeezing Jonouchi's hand tightly and turned to face him.

He tossed the drunk blond forward into Yugi who grabbed hold of his friend quickly, to hold him back from any more irresponsible choices.

"As for you," He pointed to Jonouchi. Cameron stayed close to her husband's side as she passively reached to hold his hand only having him shun her gesture of affection away. He was focusing on the task at hand. Isono took his position next to Cameron and calmly guided her closer to the table away from the ruckus. The Charisma Complex group was flocked back together to the table, watching from afar. Shining Knight watched in amusement as Ji-Hun watched on in judgment.

"As for me what? What you wanna do tough guy!" Jonouchi started rolling up the sleeves to his already crumbled shirt. Yugi tightened his grip on his friend as he started swinging his fists in the air.

"Joey, please! You're not in the right state of mind!" Yugi heaved back trying to keep Jonouchi further away from Seto as possible.

"You're drunk Wheeler. Go to bed. You're making a fool of yourself as usual," Seto placed a hand over his face, shutting his eyes tightly and strode off the dance floor and headed straight towards the lower floor of the ship where the cabins were.

Jonouchi's rage flared up again. Movements still as sloppy as before as he threw Yugi off him having the shorter man stumble a bit backward. Before Jonouchi could catch up to Seto with his fists Cameron swiftly stepped in front of him.

"Don't follow him," She kept a protective stance, staring up at the blond fearlessly.

Without word Yugi was back behind Jonouchi, taking a firm grip on his arms. He knew that his sober friend would never lay a hand a woman. But he still wanted to take precaution.

"Joey, let's just go rest in the cabin okay?" Yugi's nervous smile stretched across his face making quick eye contact with Cameron for reassurance.

"You got your two-foot wife defending you now! Ha! You f*ckin' coward!" He squawked out, wiggling around not budging Yugi's grip. By this time Seto was already long gone. He had already retired to the cabins where he could get peace and quiet.

Isono made himself present again, gesturing Cameron to go back with the others only having her follow his instructions bitterly. Wanting to sock Jonouchi in the nose, flashing him one final glare before sitting back next to Hyori.

Isono coaxed Jonouchi out of Yugi's hold as the two men escorted the difficult blond to the lower floor of the cabins. Yugi on one side of him with Isono on the other, keeping him from any more outbursts.

Ji-Hun, his wife, and the children had made themselves scarce and headed to the cabins when the dispute started. It seemed by this time the crowds of people were getting smaller. Ben had even disappeared right after getting a taste of Seto's wounding eyes. Hyori had been on her phone texting Mokuba. Updating him on the drama of the night.

Cameron sneakily glanced over at the screen of her phone. "I can assure you that Seto has already informed him of what has happened," She said calmly, slouching into the chair.

Hyori pushed her hair behind her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the phone. "Not according to Mokuba," She answered, scrolling through the messages and showed Cameron the text she was referring to.

Cameron was surprised at this, considering that the two brothers told each other everything. "I see, well. I better go. It was a fun night. Despite the drunken mess," Cameron forced a smile. Hyori leaned in and hugged her.

"It happens! Tell Seto to lighten up!" Hyori smiled back, patting Cameron's arm.

The small brunette hugged back before standing. "Ha! I'll try," She turned to the boys in the back of them. Shining Knight and Gabe were lounging on the floor of the deck, having small talk and playing on their phones.

"Have a good night guys," Cameron gave a small wave before heading off. They said their tipsy farewells to her in a lazy friendly tone.

The black peek-a-boo heels she wore were still under the table. Cameron had taken them off during the night when she was still on the dance floor. She picked them up and walked along, hanging the shoes loosely in her hands. She could feel her braid hanging from the back of her head. Without surprise, she had lost a few bobby pins throughout the duration of the night. A silent sigh escaped the woman's mouth once she got closer to her cabin door. It was at the end of the back of the second floor.

"Hey Cam," A voice called out to her. It was a strange occurrence, it must have been somebody who knew her well enough to call her by the nickname. It certainly wasn't a casual of Seto's. Though, it was a voice that seemed familiar. It's when she turned that she realized how thoughtless she was. It was Ben. She dreaded this encounter, not knowing what kind of mood her husband would be in. And just wanting to go to bed.

"Hi Ben," She answered softly with a question in her voice.

"I hope I'm not bothering you?" He rubbed the back of his head, approaching closer towards her slowly.

"Of course not! I'm just heading to bed is all," She smiled faintly.

"Okay, that's good," He still sounded uncertain.

"I Just uh, wanted to apologize for tonight. If I made either you or your husband uncomfortable," He continued to talk with a slight bowing of his head.

Cameron tilted her head, feeling a bit of empathy with her former love interest. "You didn't. You're completely fine. Don't worry about it. I know you're just doing your job. And Seto is always like that. It's nothing you did," She tried to reassure him in a sweet voice.

He nodded at her words. "Okay, good! I don't want to get his bad side you know!" He chuckled nervously catching eyes with Cameron.

"O-or you! Of course!" He kept a grin.

"No problem Ben. Have a good night, alright?" She turned to walk back towards her cabin door only to be called by Ben again.

"Excuse me, before you go. Would you be willing to take a picture with me?" He asked, picking up his camera that was still draped around his neck. Cameron was hesitant at first, opening her mouth to speak. Ben interrupted.

"Just for my possession. It won't be published anywhere. I promise," He looked at her gently. A warm content feeling overcame her.

"I'd love too," She spoke honestly, setting her shoes down on the floor and stepped close to Ben's side. He stretched his arm behind her and grabbed hold of her shoulder lightly and leaned his head close to hers as he held the camera up in the air. He snapped a photo, quickly releasing her.

"Thank you. You must get asked to get your picture taken a lot," Ben said, looking over the photo on his camera a moment and looked back up at Cameron who was now back in front of him.

"Actually, not too much," She picked her shoes back up, feeling the back of her head as she pulled the remaining bobby pins out of her hair to let the end of her braid fall down over her shoulder.

Ben watched her intently. "I'm honored that you let me take a picture with you then. Thank you," He said in sincerity.

"Don't thank me. You've been a good friend of mine for years. It was a pleasant surprise to see you here tonight," She opened her arm for a hug as he gladly accepted and hugged her.

A familiar feeling struck Cameron, holding close to Ben she found herself being melancholy. There was a tender touch to Ben. A type of caringness radiating off the other American. It almost made her feel guilty. Wishing that Seto made her feel this way when he held her.

"I should really go Ben," Her words slightly muffled into his shoulder before pulling away and spun around to head back to her room.

"I still have the stuffed rabbit from the train station," He spoke in almost defeat, not wanting to come across pathetic by mentioning things from the past.

Cameron took hold of the knob of her Cabin door. She kept her face turned away from Ben, feeling embarrassed from the lingering hug. "Talk to you soon Ben. Have a good night," She lifted her head and smiled big at him before disappearing into her room.


	11. Chapter 11

The sound of the door closing must have been the reason why Seto had woken up. Cameron wasn't sure if he was actually sleeping but because the whole room was dark she could trust her assumptions. The curtains to the large glass window were shut. The cabin was small and pretty compacted but due to having no doors to any of the rooms leading into one another it gave off a more spacious vibe. Since the cabin was assigned to Kaiba it must have been the nicer ones as it was set up like a hotel room. First room by the front door was the bathroom. And if you walked a bit further was the small kitchen area that also had a bar attached to it. Where the large window is was the sitting area with a couch, television and the whole shabang. Believe it or not, the bedroom is what seemed to take up most of the cabinet. It was straight ahead. Cameron could see the silhouette of her husband on the bed. She set her shoes down on the rug by the desk in the bedroom along with the bobby pins on top of it.

"Two individual beds instead of just one? Should I be thanking you or feeling bad?" Cameron cracked a joke as she flicked on the light to the bedroom and starting unbraiding the rest of her hair.

Seto sat on the edge of the bed he was laying in. He had stripped out of his suit and was left wearing just a pair of boxers and a plain t-shirt. "You were acting fickle, pre-usual when I had to make reservations on this room. I thought it was the best choice," He muttered, rubbing his exhausted face.

Cameron frowned as she watched her husband, he was looking more tired than earlier. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry if I did," She tried to lighten up.

"It's fine," He grumbled, standing up from the bed and brushed against her as he walked past to head towards the kitchen area to pour himself a drink.

Cameron frowned, standing on the threshold of the bedroom once her hair was completely down. "You shouldn't drink so much. Especially since you didn't eat--"

"It's seltzer. You don't need to act like my mother," he said to her mockingly and took a sip from his glass.

She looked down, running her fingers through her long hair trying to smooth it. She wanted to say something, considering how things ended kind of bitterly back on the deck. The silence only made it more awkward. At least on Cameron's end. She felt some type of guilt that went along with the drunken fiasco with Jounouchi and then with the long hug she had with Ben outside the door. It is not something propper a wife should do. And more so since she was the wife of Seto Kaiba. There was a title that went along with how Cameron should act. It was also a surprise that Seto had no sarcastic comments about what had happened. Maybe Cameron could consider that as some sort of blessing.

Instead of heading back towards the bedroom Seto walked into the sitting area instead. He set his glass of seltzer down on the oak coffee table and turned on the television which had the stock market channel playing already. He picked up a Domino City newspaper that he had requested. He opened the newspaper, crossing his legs and began to read.

Cameron hesitated, not wanting to ruin his peace and quiet but decided to take the chance anyway. She tiptoed over to the lounge chair he was sitting in and sat on the arm of it. "I'm sorry about tonight," She almost whispered.

There was no response at first as Seto squinted, not having his contacts in and no glasses defeated the purpose of reading. He slowly blinked and looked straight up at her face. "You look prettier with your bangs down," He spoke bluntly.

Her husband's words hit a nerve making Cameron regret her attempt at being nice to this god awful man. "What in the world does that have to do with anything I just said!" She snapped.

Seto laid the paper down in his lap. "You had your bangs pulled back. It was nice seeing you dressed up for a change. But your face looks prettier when it's framed," He kept his tone calm.

The more he spoke the more she wanted to smack him in the mouth. I guess the urge to punching crude men in the face was a theme of the night. "And you're just going to disregard my apology!"

"I don't know why you're apologizing. So yes."

She glared at him with such revulsion. "I don't know why I even bother to try to be nice to a man that acts like a child who runs off and sulks in his room once something doesn't play out his way!" She shot up from the chair and smoothed down the front of her dress.

"Sulking? Child?" He couldn't help but crack a smile.

"These words all describe you, my dear. Are you apologizing for making a fool of our company name?" He tossed the newspaper aside, closing his eyes brushing his fingers through his fringe.

"No!--Well, I mean yes! Why did you walk off like that? Were you that embarrassed by me?" She bawled her hands into fists, feeling her temper slowly boiling up. This was bad, there was no Mokuba to break them apart tonight.

"I was a bit. How am I supposed to feel when there were so many people you could of associating yourself with and you choose that mutt Jonouchi? And that ex of yours taking all kinds of pictures. Making us look bad," Seto's lips were tight together forming a scowl. His calm demeanor had now faded away as his true rough personality was showing again.

"Well, then I'm sorry I embarrassed you! Your friggin' highness!" Cameron picked up the bottom of her dress and stomped out of the sitting area and into the bathroom. She was so angry that there was no door to slam shut. She picked up her makeup pouch Isono was kind enough to leave out for her as she started to take off her makeup using wipes. She looked into the mirror to help peel off the false lashes she had on. Seto's tall build appeared in the reflection of the mirror when he stood on the threshold of the bathroom.

"You're also bold to assume I left because I was sulking," He rested his back against the wooden frame of the doorway as he watched her.

She kept away from eye-contact as she was still very angry. "What else am I supposed to assume? It seems like you were sulking all night. If I didn't find you I wouldn't have even spent any time with you. You left before I finished my speech. You never danced with me when I asked. You didn't even eat!" She finally shot him a look in the mirror before stepping back. She ran her fingers through her hair once again. Suddenly a bottle of Dramamine caught her attention from the corner of her eye. That feeling of guilt struck her once more.

"Hey," She turned to the doorway where her husband was no longer there. She blinked in surprise and headed out of the room. Seto was no longer in the sitting area but back in the bedroom.

"I didn't know you suffered from motion sickness. I'm sorry, I just now realized why you've been acting strangely."

Seto laid flat on his back, eyes closed again as he rested. He didn't make an effort to answer her quickly. "Yeah, I guess from only using air travel my body is no longer used to the water," He mumbled peeking an eye open and slowly sat up once he saw his wife leaving the room with her duffle bag.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

She stopped halfway through the hallway. "Going to change out of my dress."

"I'd prefer you changed in here," He told her gently.

The first thought that came to mind was that she didn't care whether or not he wanted her to change there. But considering that she just had apologized twice she controlled her attitude.

"I honestly feel strange doing that," She answered him honestly. They were married yes, but it didn't seem right to just do something so intimate so quickly.

"You swung open the door of the shower on me the other night. You've seen me naked without my consent. I'm at least asking you. I'm also your husband I have the right--"

"So? I didn't swing the shower door open to see you naked Seto. I did it so you'd finally listen to what I had to say. And you never asked me! You told me!" She held the duffle bag slow to the floor as it was heavy.

Seto examined her facial expression with his cold steely eyes. "Fine, I'll reiterate. Will you be willing to change in the bedroom? Please," He tried to keep his tone casual and play along not to upset her any further.

Cameron's arms were starting to hurt from the heaviness of the duffle bag. She kept a sharp stare on her husband with a frown to match letting him know she means business. She took a moment to think over the question. She did see him naked. Not for lustful reasons but she did catch a glimpse of his manly physique. And maybe it was unfair to Seto, who was a man and who had his own needs that she was too lenient with him when it came to normal duties of a wife.

"Fine," She huffed, finally agreeing as she struggled with the duffle bag. Seto slipped off the comforter and picked up the bag for her and set it on the empty bed and retreated back to his own.

Embarrassment struck the petite brunette at first. Feeling her husband's eyes on her as she pushed her hair off her back. "Don't just stare! At least unzip it for me!" Her voice whined.

Seto said nothing, standing up again and did as he was told and unzipped the dress. She pushed away from him and turned her back to face him as she slinked out of the white dress letting it hit the floor. Without being asked Seto leaned in and unclipped the strapless bra for her. She glanced back at him with a blush.

"Thank you," She turned slightly, letting her hair cover the bare skin of her breasts as she picked up her dress and undergarment. Seto stepped away, laying back on the bed to give his wife space. He picked up his phone to distract him so it didn't make Cameron feel so uncomfortable. While she wasn't looking he did take glimpses of her body, especially when she was fully nude. He was cunning enough to where she only caught him observing once. Finally when she was changed into clean underwear and an oversized jersey she had own previously she approached the side of his bed.

"Would you like me to sleep in the spare bed?" She asked, hairbrush in hand now.

"You can sleep wherever you prefer," He told her, answering a text message from Yugi.

"Then can I sleep in this bed, with you?" She asked.

"If you can fit. Of course," He looked up at Cameron and scooted over to make room for her.

She plopped down on the bed, swishing her hair having the end of her hair hit Seto in the face making him rolled flat on his back again. There was a moment of silence between them as Cameron brushed her hair and Seto looking over the tweets on the Kaiba Corp account.

"Has that America ever seen you naked?" He asked her abruptly.

The question made Cameron spin her head back with flustered brows. "What? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Because you acted rather shy just now. You are very beautiful, you know," He almost sounded uninterested when he said this. Even more so since his eyes were still scrolling through the inane twitter feed.

Cameron blushed at the comment, not expecting it. "If you're talking about Ben. No, he has never seen me naked. He was never a serious boyfriend. I only dated him a few times," She answered honestly, looking down at the screen of his phone seeing an ongoing argument he was having with somebody named J.Crawford.

"Has anybody else?" He stretched his arm over her to set his phone on the end table between the two twin beds.

"What? I don't like where this is going," She scooted more to the edge of the bed and placed her brush down next to the phone.

"I'm your husband. I'm curious to know who saw my wife unclothed before me," He folded his arms under his head, looking over at her with tired eyes.

"So what that you're my husband? Why must you ruin nice moments all the time Seto!" She complained and stood up, sitting on the bed across from his.

Her sudden attitude made him roll his eyes. "You're over exaggerating," He turned back on his side having his hair press to the pillow.

"No, I'm not!" She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees giving him a little peek at her pink panties.

"Yes, you are. Why is it such a big deal if I know the other men that have had you before me?" His body language was relaxed but his stare on her was fierce as usual.

"Because it has nothing to do with now! This only has to do with your stupid male pride!" She glared back at him, beyond sickened by his logic.

"Perhaps it does. But I still have the right to know, don't I? Why are you so defensive, Have you been loose?" He asked in seriousness. The question earned a pillow straight to the face as Cameron threw it in a fit of rage.

"How dare you assume that! Just because I want to keep modesty for myself! If I asked you such things you'd give me one of your cocky sarcastic answers!" She hissed at him, looking him up and down with disgust.

The sudden attack of the pillow didn't phase Seto because he understood where she was coming from. "No I wouldn't," He sat up, holding the pillow in his arms.

"Yes, you would Seto!" She barked back, pressing her back closer to the wall.

"Then ask me now," He insisted and tossed the pillow back to her.

She caught it and hugged it to her chest. "Are you a virgin?"

"No," He answered quickly.

"Then how many women have you been with?" She asked him with intense eyes.

He paused as he thought. "Four," He answered honestly.

"Four? I don't believe you. Who were they?" She gripped onto the pillow for comfort.

"Three were business women. And one was a hot-blooded secretary. Why don't you believe me? You think a cold-hearted brute like me can't charm a woman?" He humored her, waiting to see what kind of backlash he'd get.

"No it's not that, it's because I know you don't want to bring attention to your scars."

Her answer hit him hard, even though it was true. And it made a lot of sense. He didn't want the public to see the scars his stepfather had given him so many years ago. He didn't want their pity. And the women he has been with were just casual hook-ups. He didn't trust any of them from gossiping. Cameron had never once asked him about his scars even though he was aware she knew of them. That was one of the things he admired about the girl. She wasn't nosy and only asked questions when they were needed.

"I suppose it didn't occur to you that you can have sex with clothing on?" He smirked.

"That's true. Or you could have done it in the dark," She shrugged, setting the pillow down.

"Do you like it in the dark?" He didn't actually care but did want to get a rise out of her.

Cameron bit her tongue knowing the tactics he was using. "Sometimes. I'm not opposed to it. I guess all that drinking really went straight to brain, hasn't it?"

"I'd have to agree with you. I feel pretty good right now," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile.

Cameron had now changed her position on the bed, laying down with her long hair sprawled across the pillowcase and sheets. Her feet touched the side of the duffle bag Seto had placed there earlier. He reached over and pulled the bag down onto the floor so she had more room to lounge on.

"You're no longer a virgin," It wasn't a question. He was stating a fact as he studied her body language, secretly enjoying the view of her.

"Oh, does that hurt your male pride?" She asked in a sweet mocking tone, clearly unimpressed with his sudden interest in her sexual history.

"It would have been nice for you to be a virgin when I married you. But it's a rare occurrence nowadays for women to be pure beforehand," He arched his back a bit and rested his arms over his legs, feeling relaxed from the lightheadedness of the alcohol has consumed throughout the night.

"Yeah, I'm convinced all that drinking made you brain dead. That makes absolutely no sense. You aren't a virgin either. And you've slept with more people then I have. You're talking like a typical pig-headed man. I can't stand you," Cameron spoke with venom, her face behind her phone as she pulled it out from the duffle bag while he was talking. She didn't bother to look him.

"I'm a man, it's different--"

"No, it's not!" She shot back, sitting up once more with the phone in her hand. The gashapon charm of gudetama hung from her dust plug swayed with her quick hand movements.

"At least the men I slept with I actually loved and was dating. You just fooled around with women just to get your dick wet. Don't you dare fucking judge me!" She placed a hand on her chest not only feeling insulted by his viewpoint but also hurt that he regarded her as some sort of property.

The alcohol seemed to have made him unfazed by her passionate anger. While in normal circumstances he would have fired back with something more clever. "How many men have you been with then?" He asked casually as if she wasn't practically burning up the bed sheets with her fiery temper.

"None of your business! I don't need this from you!" She jumped up from the bed, yanking her jersey off and flung it at his face. She unzipped her bag and dug through it, looking for an outfit to change into.

Seto pulled the shirt off his face and flung it to the ground. "You're not leaving. If that's what you're planning. It'd be idiotic," He stood up once she was dressed in a pair of shorts and t-shirt.

"I'm not a doll Seto. I belong to myself. I can leave if I'd like. You can't stop me," She tucked her phone into the back pocket of her shorts and stormed out of the bedroom. Her husband followed quickly after her and grabbed onto her wrist as she took hold of the doorknob.

"You're overreacting again! Who said you were a doll? You're a Kaiba now. It has to do with being a lady. Not acting like some commoner from the streets! Your nasty temper is your downfall, Cameron! It's not very becoming of you!" He nudged her lightly to have her look at him. She refused.

"Let go of me Seto," She hissed, starting to yank her arm.

"And where do you plan on going?" He tightened the grip on her wrist only slightly not to harm her. She kept her back turned to him.

"I don't know. Maybe Hyori's room. Or even Isono. Somewhere that's not here," She yanked her arm out of his grasp with ease as he didn't fight her.

"Or maybe Jonouchi. Since we're both commoners from the street," She finally looked over her shoulder with slick eyes.

Her words must have sobered the young CEO as his arrogant attitude had come back to the surface. "Going to try to make me look like a fool! You know what the media will think if they catch wind of you going to another man's cabin in the middle of the night! Whatever inferiority you feel towards sex is only going to worsen by heading off like this," He suddenly took a step back as she shoved past him with her head bowed and hair hanging in her face.

He stared at her harshly, stepping back to block the door in case she changed her mind. "You're trying to challenge me and you're only hurting yourself in the process. You don't have to sleep next to me. That's why I ordered a room with two beds."

"Did you love any of them?" She asked, turning her back towards him once more.

"Of course not. I was younger when I did that. You're acting out because you're jealous of old affairs I've had in the past?" He raised a brow, taking caution to whatever mood swing he might get.

"I don't give a damn about the women you've fooled around with. We've established already that you're not in love with me. You enjoy my presence as a woman and you tolerate my behavior --" She lifted her head up to glare at him.

" If I'm going to show my most vulnerable parts to you and if I let you touch me I want it to be with love. Not because you're a man and I'm a woman. Do you understand me?" There was an authority in her voice as she spoke. It was a tone Seto did not appreciate. Nobody talked to him this way and not definitely not an overly emotional woman who couldn't control her own actions when being angered.

"How profound," He sneered, stretching his arm out to gesture towards the bedroom. "The spare bed is for you. Your Highness," He mocked her with the term of endearment she had used on him earlier.

"Oh, why thank you moneybags," She scoffed out, using a term she know he'd flinched to as she headed back to the bedroom.

He waited outside the bedroom for her to change back into her pajamas. Once she was finished he re-entered the room. Neither of them said a word to each other as the unsettling silence soaked up into the atmosphere. Both fell asleep fairly quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, when I first wrote this scene I was expecting things to get fluffy and naughty. But as I kept writing things just kept getting heavier. This is another favorite chapter of mine to write. It's another instance where you can kind of see how Cam and Kaiba try to be compatible but end up fighting because both of them have too much pride.
> 
> Kaiba having seasickness was yet again another headcanon I liked. It is also true that some cabins on ships do not have doors for some reason? I looked it up for the scene.
> 
> Gashapon are a variety of vending machine-dispensed capsule toys popular in Japan and elsewhere. Gudetama is a little lazy egg yolk character who's also popular in Japan. :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yugi has also become one of my favorite characters to write as.

Cameron awoke with the covers completely pulled over her body, curled up against the wall of the bedroom. Her eyes squinted from the brightness of the sun that came through the small porthole window above the end table between the two twin beds. The incoherent chatter of deep voices is what woke her up. At first, she thought she was still half asleep but then soon realized that the chatter she heard was Japanese. Though she should have been used to it by now it still was odd to her. Since that's all Mokuba and Seto spoke to each other every day at home.

She slowly shifted in bed, rubbing her droopy eyes and laid on her side that faced the bed her husband was sleeping in. He was no longer there. The bed had been neatly made with the duffle bag that had been moved around all night nicely placed by the side of the desk from the wall across her. Once Cameron untangled herself from the sheets she slowly stood and carefully walked out of the bedroom with a yawn. The first person she noticed was Yugi sitting at the small wooden table attached to the wall that was part of the kitchen area. A duel monster platform was laid out on the table, it was just about big enough to fit.

"Ohayou!" The King of Games greeted Cameron in Japanese. Unlike last night Yugi was dressed more casual this morning. His hair back to being messily spiked up and wearing a black band t-shirt with the sleeves cut off that said "The Little Kuribohs" on it with a graphic design of the little angry fluff-ball. And a pair of ripped jeans at the knee along with an assortment of black leather buckles around his neck and arms. Unlike Seto, Yugi was still sporting the same look from high school.

"Oh, um good morning," Cameron gave a coy smile, smoothing the back of her hair down. She looked over at Seto who was across the table from Yugi, he was holding a handful of duel monster cards and studying each one to pick the right choice. He was also dressed for the morning wearing a baby blue short-sleeved collar shirt with large breast pockets and brown chino pants. He only glanced up at Cameron just to show acknowledgment towards her. He didn't look too happy. Though, this wasn't an uncommon trait for the CEO of Kaiba Corp. She couldn't tell if he was still displeased with her from last night or if he was finally feeling the hangover from only indulging in booze.

"Did you sleep well?" Yugi stayed chipper, speaking to her in English now.

Cameron nodded to his question. "I did actually, how about yourself?" She looked over her shoulder and pulled up a chair to sit at the front of the table. She felt a bit embarrassed seeing that everybody was dressed for the day and she was the only one left in pajamas.

"Uh, I did half the night," he admitted sheepishly, being a bit excited again as Seto placed a trap card down on the field.

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," Her eyes scanned to the left when she felt her husband's hand brushing against her arm. He was offering his cup of tea to her after taking a sip of it. She took it gently from him and sipped. Green tea with ginger. Both good for your stomach and head. He was defiantly suffering from a hangover.

"Yeah, after we got back to the cabin Jou was still acting a bit crazy. He's been sleeping on the couch since we got here," Yugi explained, setting down Koumori Dragon in attack mode.

Cameron's face lit up in surprise as she turned her back to the two playing and over on the couch where the back was facing the table. Jounouchi was seriously in their cabin? After the mishap on the dance floor. And how her husband seems to loathe the blond. She couldn't understand why he'd even let him in here. Maybe because he was Yugi's friend perhaps.

"I'm sure he has a hangover too," She said, holding the cup with two hands and up to her face for the warmth radiating from it. Seto gave her harsh side-eyes at the 'too' comment knowing it was directed towards him. She set the cup down and stepped closer to the couch and peered at it. Jounouchi was fast asleep laying on his back, snoring loudly with the Domino City newspaper opened and laid over his face. He must have been reading before passing out cold.

"I think he may have a concussion," Yugi said with concern, playing another card on the field as Seto watched him carefully, sipping the tea again.

Cameron frowned at this. "It's not good to sleep if you have a concussion," She walked over to the arm of the couch where Jounouchi head was and gently tapped him.

Yugi grimaced as she approached. "Be careful Cam! He still might b--"

"What the hell!" The blond exclaimed, sitting up with force having the pieces of the newspaper fly up in the air and slowly float down to the floor and couch.

"--Cranky," Yugi finished his sentence with a sigh. Cameron hopped back in fright, missing Jounouchi flailing hands by a hair.

"Oh, Primadonna! It's just you!" Jounouchi calmed down fairly quickly, rubbing the back of his head with squinted eyes. Needless to say, he looked more shit-faced than Seto.

"Speak English," Seto spoke in annoyance, emphasizing the words in Japanese so Jounouchi didn't take long to translate his order.

The blond blinked slowly, looking at Cameron dumbfounded. "Oh, Primadonna. It's just you," He repeated.

Cameron covered her growing smile with her hand at Jounouchi lost expression. "Hello, commoner. Yugi said you might have a concussion. Can I take a look?" She asked kindly.

"Commoner? The hell? I see how it is!" He leaned his hands back into the cushions of the couch eyeing her playfully.

"Just shut up and let her look at your head," Seto piped up again gruffly.

"Cam is a nurse Joey. Since you didn't want to go to the infirmary last night at least have her take a look?" Yugi smiled gently at his friend, hoping to get him to calm down.

"What? You a nurse?" Jounouchi pointed at Cameron in surprise.

Cameron nodded. "I am. A nurse practitioner actually," She stepped closer to the couch. She had never told Yugi what her profession was before she had gotten married. It was a comforting sign that Seto did indeed talk positively about her when she wasn't around.

"Well in that case! Hellllllo Nurse!~" He howled and flashed her a goofy grin as she leaned close him with a smile and brushed his mop of blond locks out of the way.

Seto looked over at them unimpressed. "Make sure to check inside of his empty head next Cameron," He added sarcastically.

"Be nice Seto," Cameron kept her smile, finding Jounouchi quite funny even though she barely understood his English half the time.

"Hey! Don't be jealous over there rich boy! If ya' want. I can give ya' a good smack on the head next so she could give you a little checkup," Jounouchi sat criss-cross on the couch wincing at her gentle touches.

"I'd like to see you try mutt," Seto sneered in amusement, casting his eyes back on the playing field with a frown as Yugi was beating him.

"There's no concussion. But a pretty good lump on the back of the head. What happened?" She asked, smoothing his hair back down before stepping back and sitting on the arm of the couch.

"He fell back and into the nightstand when we got to our cabin last night," Yugi explained, starting to organize his cards again.

Seto rubbed his face at Yugi's explanation. Just hearing about the blond's antics were giving him a migraine. Cameron walked to the bar area and pulled the small towel off the cooler door and poured a scoop of ice into the towel using a glass. She wrapped the towel around the cluster of ice and placed it on Jonouchi head.

"Hold the ice on the back of your head for awhile," She told him gently before sitting back down at the table with Yugi and Seto still playing.

"Yeah, yeah! I've done this hundred times!" He waved her off with a cocky grin, keeping his hand on top of the makeshift ice packet.

"That's not something to brag about," Seto slapped down Sea King Dragon in attack mode. His eyes wandered to Cameron's hand as she took hold of his tea again and sipped the last of it.

"So, when is the brunch starting upstairs?" Yugi quickly interjected before Jounouchi could snap back with an insult for Seto as he shifted through his deck of cards.

"The brunch is at eleven. The ship arrives back at the docks by one o'clock," Seto answered lowly, crossing his arms with cards still in hand.

Cameron looked over at the clock hanging on pf the sitting area wall. "It's 10:45! You guys are going to have to leave!" She set the empty cup down on the table.

"What for? Why you tryin' to kick us out? You don't like duel monsters or somethin'?" The blond had his back pressed into the cushions of the couch and turned slightly to stare over at Cameron.

"Because all of you guys are dressed and I need to shower still," She felt self-conscious again avoiding contact as she glanced down, playing with the end of her hair again.

"That's no problem, Cam! Take your time! We can finish our game upstairs on the deck," Yugi gleamed with his charismatic personality.

As he spoke Seto quietly started putting away his deck of cards and helped Yugi fold up the playing mat.

"Thank you," Cameron smiled, picking up the cup so it was out of the way. She flinched at the sudden hard pat on the back. She glanced back seeing it was Jounouchi with no surprise.

"You better hurry up! Or I'm gonna eat all the pancakes on ya'!" He laughed, keeping a firm grip on the towel that was leaking a bit.

Yugi held the folded up playing mat under his arm and his deck of cards in hand. "See you in a few guys!" He gave a slight wave as Seto walked his two friends to the door.

"And go, Giants!" Jonouchi yelled out to Cameron as Seto slammed the door in his face. He was referring to the jersey she wore to bed. She smiled at his observation and quickly lost it when Seto was back in view.

"When I said you guys have to leave. I also meant you," She said dryly with dull eyes on him.

"I'm not leaving without you. It'll look bad. People will think we're not getting along," He answered her, taking a seat in the sitting area.

"But we aren't getting along. You just want to see me undressed again," She kept her dull stare on him, finally standing.

He grinned at her comment, opening his laptop he left on the coffee table from early this morning. "Don't flatter yourself, Cameron," He let a soft chuckle escape him as he slipped on his glasses.

She rolled her eyes at his stupid comment. "Stay in here then," She told him as she walked off into the bathroom.

"Not a problem," He answered her already interested as he went through business emails.

It only took Cameron a few minutes to shower as she hurried not to take too long. She strutted out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom quickly, taking notice that her husband was still in the far corner of the sitting area. She unwrapped herself from the towels and set them aside on the back of the desk chair and went through her bag for clothing. She felt her husband behind her as she was half dressed in just the shorts she put on from last night.

"You said you'd stay in the sitting area," She grumbled in annoyance, pulling on a bra.

"I wanted to make sure you'll be in a good mood before we go up there," He walked in closer to her and clipped the back of her bra.

She stiffened at his touch. "So coming in here and bothering me if your way of making sure I'm happy?" She tried to ignore him as she pulled a shirt over her head. Once she was fully dressed he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her head by grabbing her chin gently and pecked her lips.

She frowned deeply, pulling away and smacking him in the arm. "Knock it off, Seto! You're just being annoying!" She whined at him.

"Let me kiss you. I can guarantee it'll make you feel better," He said to her smugly, keeping an arm outstretched for her.

"Why would I want to kiss you? I can't stand your guts," She scoffed at him, picking up her brush and started to pull it through her hair.

"If you hated me that much you would have left last night and made ruined my name," He was back with his swift answers.

Cameron said nothing at first, pulling a knot out of her hair. What he was saying was true. She couldn't stand him half the time but there was an odd softness to her husband. The last thing she wanted to do was make him look like an idiot in front of his peers. At least not on purpose. She set her brush down and reluctantly walked back into his arms as he bent down and kissed her lips again. She stood on her tiptoes, cupping his face to kiss back.

"You're using manipulation to get me to behave," She mumbled under her breath as the kisses continued.

He smirked at this, suckling at her bottom lip a moment as she stepped back. Keeping a strong grip on her.

"I learned from the best," His words came out like silk. He was referring to her. Cameron was always hot and cold. She knew what buttons to push at the right time.Her husband thought she was only controlled by her heart. But that wasn't always the case. There was a cunning mind behind the pretty face.

Before she knew it Seto had pressed her into the desk with more aggression to his kiss. He had deepened it, getting a good taste of her mouth. It made the petite woman shiver in pleasure. She'd never admit that she enjoyed. She couldn't hide it and her husband knew that she relished in this type of affection. He held onto her with hands on each side of her waist. Just when she was really feeding into the moment he pulled back as she stretched her hand up to the back of his neck. When she opened her eyes his icy stare was already settled down on her face.

"That's enough," He said calmly, touching the bottom her lip.

Her face turned bright red, smacking his hand away as she turned. He chuckled, the sound of his deep voice made her flush. She fell into his trap. Not that she was taken off guard. She let herself get caught up in him. Though, surprisingly she wasn't unpleased by it.

"Come on, it's past eleven now," He reached over her to pick up his sunglasses that were on the desk.

"I haven't even finished. Does my hair look alright?" She asked, touching the back of it.

"Yes," He said, placing his sunglasses over his face and walked out of the room ahead of her.

She huffed, looking around the bedroom for shoes. "Do you want me to wear my tall sandals so we don't look like a giraffe and rabbit holding hands!" She yelled out for him. He didn't answer, already at the door waiting. She grabbed her platform sandals anyway and hurried out to catch up.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabe had like, no lines in the other chapter. And the Cam referring to the idol group as 'White Knight' Was a joke with myself because I kept writing them as 'White Knight' instead of Shining Knight. Hope somebody is getting the subtle Western pop culture references. Thought it was fitting since Cam is the main character and she's American.
> 
> Headcanon of Mokie knowing parkour because it's canon that he climbs up building and stuff!

When the couple left their room Isono was waiting for them outside. Cameron greeted him in a more friendly manner with a hug as Seto just acknowledged him with a good morning. Cameron linked arms with her husband, leaning close. She was back in the mode of playing house. Being the role of the dainty little Ms.Susie Homemaker. The dedicated wife of the successor of Kaiba Corp. It was a spotlight she both hated and loved.

Seto was still worn-out from last night. Using his sunglasses to shield his bloodshot eyes from the public. Once they arrived at the front deck, low playing pop music was heard from the stereo the Charisma Complex duo.

"Do you two always have to dress like the Doublemint twins?" Seto asked smugly, stopping in front of Hyori and Gabe who were playing shuffleboard on the deck. Both wearing similar outfits. Hyori in a white half sweatshirt with the Adidas logo printed on in black. And high waisted shorts with the skin of her torso peek-a-booing out. Gabe wore the matching sweatpants and a t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A snapback hat covered his stylish blond hair. He trotted backward as he made up his own rules for shuffleboard.

"Sure do Chevy Chase. When are you going to teach me how to be one with the ball?" Gabe poked the weighted disk along the printed scoring triangle. He stopped in mid-step to fix his glasses that were slipping off his face.

Everybody fell silent, not understanding the joke as Cameron was the first one to burst out laughing. As she was the only one that realized the reference.

"What's so funny? I don't get it?" Seto shot his head back, looking over at his wife who had her mouth covered.

"Remember that golfing movie you watched with me and Mokuba that one time?" She asked.

Seto looked at her deadpan. "Do you realize how many movies I've watched with you two?" He was starting to get annoyed. The last thing he wanted to be was the butt of somebody's joke.

"It's from Caddyshack Seto. The movie with the gopher puppet?" She added on. Hyori and Isono stood there just as dumbfounded as Gabe was the only one grinning, gloating in his triumph of confusing the stone-faced CEO.

"Chevy Chase is a golfer in the movie. Gabe is teasing you on your outfit. It looks like you're going golfing," Cameron spelled it out for her husband who was still staring down at her processing the dumb joke.

"I do not look like a golfer!" He snapped finally understanding, pointing towards Gabe. "Using something so obscure as that! If you worked for me I'd fire you!" He hissed at the Canadian who was still getting quite a kick out of Mr.Kaiba's reaction. He made side-eyes with Hyori who smiled at him in amusement.

"How do you not know Caddy Shack but reference the Doublemint Twins!" Gabe stood there stunned, slouching back relaxed with his posture. A hand in the baggy pocket of his sweatpants and shuffleboard stick rested on the back of his shoulders.

Cameron patted Seto's back lovingly and nudged him away as Hyori motioned her to come over to her. She nodded to the Korean girl in response as she leaned into her husband to speak.

"I'll get you breakfast? What would you like?" Cameron tilted her head as she looked up at him.

"I can get it myself," He almost sounded insulted as he swiftly turned away from her and towards the buffet spread that was set up on the deck. Jounouchi had already left his mark. Grabbing as much food as his stomach could possibly handle. He made good on his promise of swiping all the pancakes. Only to have the servers replace the tray with fresh ones. He had plates stacked up high like in cartoons at the table him and Yugi were sitting at. Before Seto got too far he turned slightly as his wife had formed a group with Hyori and Gabe.

"What would you like to eat?" He asked calmly, coldness still prominent. Cameron wasn't sure if he was keeping up a character or not by his tone. I suppose he didn't want to seem too soft.

"Um, I don't know. You know what I like," She waved him off playfully.

He stared at her dully. "So, if they don't have oatmeal you want me to wing it?"

"Yes," She smiled at him. Once Seto was out of sight with Isono behind him. Hyori grabbed onto the petite brunette's shoulders gently.

"So, I guess you and Seto are playing nice again?" She grinned, watching the CEO's tall frame from afar.

Cameron shrugged. "I guess so. We didn't really get along last night," She glanced up at Hyori who was about to ask for more details.

"Where's your Group? White Knight?" She cut Hyori off at the start, not wanting to explain her and Seto's marital bed issues.

"It's Shining Knight," She corrected pleasantly.

"They're sleeping in. They don't have to perform today. So it's nice for them to get a good rest. They work hard," Gabe answered for his colleague, setting the Shuffleboard stick down and rubbing the back of his achy shoulder.

Cameron nodded to Gabe's explanation, not really caring but wanted to get herself off the hook. She was aware that Hyori knew a lot of the drama that went on between her and her husband because Mokuba had found comfort in telling her things. He had to have some other outlet to express his feelings to other than his older brother. And let's be fair. Seto was not always at par with other's hearts at times.

"He didn't seem too happy when he left last night. It was sweet of him to help you up when his friend fell on you though," Hyori, placed a hand on her hip as she talked.

"Don't mention it. But he hasn't been feeling well. He has motion sickness," Cameron lowered her voice in caution.

"And what's your excuse for his normal sour attitude?" Gabe asked with a grin spread on his face. Hyori elbowed him playfully.

"I see Gabe is your mouthpiece for you Hyori," Cameron tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as her eyes caught Ben mingling in the background with other guests. He was talking with Ji-Hun's wife, making contact with the girls who didn't understand his English.

"Well, not intentionally. But I am grateful for it," Hyori caught Cameron's stare and turned to look in the direction where she was looking.

This caused Cameron to look away from Ben and took a step back.

"I should join Seto for breakfast now. Before my food gets cold," She glanced back to see that her husband was back to playing the card game.

Jounouchi was sitting next to him wearing sunglasses as well. It was funny seeing the two subconsciously mimicking each other's exhausted state. The blond was more slumped in his chair while Seto kept his back straight, keeping his stoic position. She gave the duo a wave goodbye as she approached the table. Yugi was, of course, the first one to greet her.

"Welcome back Cam," He said pleasantly, looking up at his cards with a smile. He had already finished his plate and was set aside with the handful of plates that slacked up high which were owned by Jounouchi.

"Thanks, Yugi. How was your breakfast?" She asked, taking a seat between Seto and Isono.

"It was very nice. As you can see. Jou enjoyed it more than me," Yugi grinned, gesturing towards the comically tall plates stacked up beside the blond.

Cameron smiled, getting a kick of Jounouchi's giant appetite. "You just might just beat Mokuba and his eating habits," She picked up the glass of water that was in front of her and sipped.

"The mutt is asleep," Seto grumbled lowly, setting a bowl of oatmeal in front of her that had mixed fruit, almonds and drizzled with honey. Similar to what she ate at home. She didn't recall seeing this sort of food at the buffet and was certain that Seto had got it personally made for her because he knows that she ate oatmeal every day.

Cameron looked down at her oatmeal and back up towards her husband, taking long sips of water before speaking. "What?"

"He fell asleep," He spoke a tad slower in annoyance, setting down a crepe filled with fruit and whipped cream. It was already cut in half.

"Is he really?" Cameron used her spoon to mix her oatmeal, taking a good look at Jounouchi who had been slouched in his chair the whole time. His eyes were shielded by his sunglasses so it wasn't obvious at first.

"Get a grip Cameron," Seto scoffed, using his fork to cut a piece of the crepe and ate it. "You can't hear that snoring?" He asked in disbelief as he gestured towards the crepe to Yugi as an offering.

Yugi shook his head no. "Thanks anyway. Are you sure you're not just in a bad mood because Joey was using your arm as a pillow earlier? " He teased Seto from across the table. He only got a dirty look in response.

Cameron kept her eyes on Jounouchi, eating small spoonfuls of her oatmeal and abruptly burst out laughing once she heard one of the snores. It caused Jounouchi to jump up in his seat in fright, bumping into Seto's shoulder making the CEO glare and shoved him lightly away. The blond's sunglasses tilted to the side as he glared back at him shoving into Seto with his elbow, only having him be ignored.

"What's your problem!" He yelled at Seto in their native tongue.

Yugi chuckled softly at Cameron's contagious laughter. "Welcome back to the living Joey," He grinned at him.

Jounouchi squinted, blinking a couple of times before straightening out the sunglasses back on his face. "Thanks," His eyes panned across the table and at Cameron.

"What you laughin' at girl!" He raised his arm to scratch the back of his tousled hair.

Cameron had slinked close to Isono, face pressed close to his shoulder and used his upper arm to hide her grin. It slowly disappeared once she heard Jounouchi.

"I'm not a dog. I have a name," Her tone turned serious rather quickly as she sat up straight. Her change in attitude made her husband perk up, sipping his black coffee with a raised brow.

Jounouchi opened his mouth slightly ready for a snappy comeback but realized his wording.

"Sorry 'bout that Cam," he said with sincerity.

Cameron looked at him harshly, not saying a word as she took another sip of water. Seto could recognize those eyes. She had been learning from the master of dirty looks. He smiled smugly behind his cup. He turned his head once a presence was felt from behind. Seto turned to look at him. Great, it was that American photographer.

"Can I help you?" He asked dryly.

"Hi, Ben!" Cameron's mood lightened up once more with a friendly wave.

"Hello, Cam. Mind if I get that group photo I wasn't able to take last night?" He gave a small nod, holding the camera up in his hands as he greeted everybody around the table.

"I don't see why not," Yugi shrugged with a smile. Yugi couldn't see it but he could feel the death glare from behind Seto's sunglasses.

"If that's alright with you guys," He quickly added to smooth things over. Without question, Jounouchi and Cameron agreed only having Seto stay silent and drape an arm around the back of his wife's chair as Ben walked around to the other side of the table.

"Okay, cool! Can everybody look this way and smile!" He stepped back, arching his back a bit to get a good angle on the group.

Yugi turned to the side in his chair as Jounouchi wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder, keeping his head close to Yugi's spiky hair while flashing the peace sign. Cameron scooted closer to her husband's side as he kept a straight face only softening his features slightly. Isono, feeling the most awkward stayed stiff and smiling. Ben snapped multiple photos having Jounouchi make different faces at the camera each time. After the American checked the photos on the back of his camera he looked back up at the table.

"Thank you for time guys!" He hung his strap back over his neck for his camera to dangled down over his chest again and walked off, glancing at Cameron before disappearing back into the crowd of people mingling on the deck.

Time passed slowly as it only came closer until the ship would arrive back to the dock. The weather was still beautiful with the sun hiding behind the clouds. There was still a light breeze which was refreshing unlike the night before. Cameron found her head rested on Seto's upper arm and body rested against him as they watched Jounouchi and Yugi play duel monsters now. Isono had already left the table somewhere on the deck socializing.

"You guys sure like this game don't you?" She asked, clearly showing boredom as she nuzzled her cheek closer to her husband's sleeve.

"You don't have to stay by my side. You can go off someplace else if you'd like," Seto answered blandly, looking down at her.

"Fine then," Cameron rolled her eyes as she slipped away from her husband's side.

She turned in her seat and stood to wander off. Her eyes scanned the area for Hyori who she was most comfortable with. With no luck finding the Korean girl Cameron stopped, looking at the back of Ben from afar. He was facing out towards the ocean. Arms rested on the metal railing. His slicked back hair that he tried parting to the side was now ruined by the oncoming breeze. Cameron pulled out her phone from her back pocket and tapped Ben on the shoulder. He flinched, looking at Cameron in surprise.

"Can I get a picture with you too?" She asked with a smile.

Ben nodded in disbelief. "Sure, Are you sure you want your photo taken with a nobody?"

"Oh shut up Ben. You're still my friend. You don't need a title," She stood beside him and raised her phone up in the air trying to angle it right so they both fit. When she stood on her tiptoes is when Ben opened his hand out to it.

"My arm is longer. I think I can get a better view?" He suggested.

Cameron looked up him and handed her phone over. "I'll let the professional handle this."

Ben chuckled at her comment, stretching his arm up and angled it down a bit so they both fit into the frame. Cameron leaned her face in close to his with a smile. He smiled as well while taking multiple pictures at once. The motion of the ship could be felt slowing down to a halt as it was finally docking.

"I'll tag you in it later. We should stay in touch," Cameron took her phone back from Ben once he handed it to her.

"Sure, that'd be nice," He followed beside Cameron as she began to walk away from the railing. Before she could part ways with Ben they were stopped by Gabe and Hyori. Shining Knight was lagging behind them.

"Are you guys already packed?" Hyori asked.

"I packed this morning. I'm sure Isono has gotten my bag by now," Cameron glanced around for her husband as she spoke.

"Lucky, I'm the one who's always carrying things," Gabe cracked a half grin, lifting his hat to smooth his hair down under it and adjusted it to wear it backward.

"I only brought a couple of things so I'm okay," Ben answered.

Hyori nodded in response. "We helped the boys pack and when I mean 'we' I mean mostly Gabe," She laughed having her colleague rolled his eyes comically at her.

"They are really talented. I was luck that I got to interview them a bit," Ben turned his body a bit to talk to Hyori. As they talked amongst themselves Cameron started to slip away from the group as she saw Yugi and Jounouchi walk by.

"Where are you going, Cam?" Gabe asked in surprise.

"Oh--I wanted to find my husband," She turned sharp to look back at him.

"Before you go. Do you want to get a group picture?" Ben asked, looking at Cameron first and the duo.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Gabe shrugged.

"You took pictures of me and Gabe earlier. I can take a picture of you guys if you like?" Hyori volunteered.

"Oh, I see how it is Hyori. Want to take a picture of all the foreigners together?" Gabe teased her with narrow eyes.

The Korean producer snorted with a laugh. "More like Westerners. You have to be less broad," She leaned in and slipped Ben's phone out of his hand as Gabe joined the group.

"I'll be in the middle. So the Canadian is in the middle," Gabe draped his arms on both of their shoulders.

Ben laughed. "So we're the American bookends?"

"Exactly!" Gabe agreed.

Hyori shuffled backward, close to the railing so she got a better view of the three of them. "Everybody say kimchi!~" She gleamed.

Everybody yelled 'Kimchi' in unison. As Hyori snapped a picture she felt something touch her slender back. She glanced over seeing a hand stretched out from outside of the boat. She let out a scream, dropping the phone to the floor of the deck. The one hand became two as it became clear it was Mokuba. He managed to climb up the side of the docked ship. He was panting from the strenuous climb. He used his strong arms to settle himself down onto the edge of the ship. Swinging his legs over to secure himself so he didn't fall when he was finally seated.

"What's the matter Hyori! Don't act like like I'm a stranger!" He laughed, reaching over to touch her hair playfully.

She stepped away quickly. "You scared me!" She grabbed onto his hand as she was pulled into a hug.

"Mokuba that's so dangerous!" Cameron frowned, watching Ben pick up his phone.

"Don't start nagging me like bro Cam," Mokuba grumbled, looking over at Hyori softly.

"That's crazy Mokuba. How'd you even climb up here?" Gabe hopped over, joining him and Hyori.

"I was already good at climbing. But I took parkour in college when I studied abroad for a while," He teasingly poked at Hyori's side a moment and rested his arm on his leg casually as he spoke.

"He climbed up to the fifth floor of the venue my wedding was hosted at. He tapped on the window and scared not only me but the rest of my bridal party," Cameron explained, feeling a bit of relief out of Mokuba's presence. It meant Seto would be close by soon.

"That's friggin' awesome! Teach me how to do that?" Gabe turned to Mokuba only having the younger Kaiba laugh nervously.

"Well, it's not that easy. You need a lot of training," he tried to explain.

As the others talked Ben was looking down at the new crack screen of his phone. He let out a slow heavy sigh, rubbing his finger on the crack of the glass. Only realizing the photographer's upset expression Hyori walked back towards him.

"I'm so sorry! It must have cracked when I dropped it! I'm sorry! I'll pay for its repair!" She looked down at the phone, seeing how severe the damage of the phone was.

Ben tried to hide his frustration, knowing it wasn't done on purpose. He kept a calm face on with his brows flustered together. And looked back up at Hyori, only being cut off by Mokuba before he could respond.

"That won't be necessary," The younger Kaiba said as he hopped off the edge of the ship and onto the deck with the others. The group looked at him in confusion.

"It was my fault for Hyori dropping the phone. I'll pay for," Mokuba placed a hand inside his jacket and pulled out a checkbook and pen clipped to the side. He opened it up and started writing out a check.

"Mokuba that's okay I could do it," Hyori insisted with a frown.

Normally Cameron would step in and say something but considering the circumstance and their relationship she let Mokuba continue. It was refreshing to see a trait of Setos within Mokuba. Only having his actions used in a more gentle manner.

"Nonsense! What's your name?" Mokuba glanced up at Ben with a smile.

"It's Benjamin Parker--" He answered in a defeated tone.

"Mokuba. Cameron," The stern voice of the older Kaiba was heard as Seto appeared in front of the group.

"We're leaving. Isono already brought the bags down to the limo," He told them, walking past them.

"Gee, goodbye to you too," Gabe made sure he said it loud enough for Seto to hear. It didn't faze him.

Mokuba ripped the check out from of the book and handed it to Ben. "Enjoy! I gave you enough to buy a new phone!" He grinned, turning to Hyori and Gabe to say his goodbyes.

Ben thanked the younger Kaiba's generosity, looking down at the check and away from it as Cameron was back to his side.

"I hope you have a safe trip to China. I hope to hear from you again?" She said farewell to him with a hug. He accepted it, hugging her back.

"I will for sure. It was nice seeing you again Cam," He smiled at her face before slipping away.

She only smiled in response as Mokuba stridden towards her and pressed a hand to the back of her shoulder.

"Let's go before Seto starts complaining," He gave one last wave to the group before heading down the ramp with the rest of the guests.

\--

Seto leaned against the side of the limo, arms crossed and annoyance spread across his face. He kept the sunglasses over his eyes more for the glary sun now. Isono was in the driver's seat of the vehicle he rolled the window in the front seat down to speak.

"Should I call Mokuba Sir?" He asked.

"No, I'll give them another minute. And I'll myself," He answered coolly.

Part of the Charisma Complex family walked by with Ji-Hun and his wife and their two daughters right behind. Seto paid no attention to them at first until Ji-Hun made the effort to be polite.

"It was a very nice event Kaiba. My family enjoyed it," He slowed his pace as he spoke.

Seto lifted his head and stepped back from the limo so he stood up straight. 

"Of course it was. Would you expect anything less?" Sarcasm was prominent in his tone. Ji-Hun was unimpressed by this only giving Kaiba a grunt in response to him and his wife continued to walk off. The youngest daughter, Eunseo stopped in place and trotted towards Seto as she stood in front of him awkwardly. The snobbish CEO took a moment to register the encounter as he was too busy keeping a look out for his family.

"Yes, Eunseo?" He slipped his sunglasses off his face clipped to the pocket of his shirt as he crouched down to the girl.

She swayed back and forth shyly, shoving a hand into her dress pocket and held out a glittery pink star charm. It was a keychain with a little yellow glittery star attached to it. It looked like a magical girl charm. Something you could win from a gashapon machine.

"Is that for me?" He continued to speak to her in Korean, as it was the only language she understood. She shook her head fast, handing the toy to Seto without a word and ran off quickly as her mother was calling her from a distance.

Seto watched her run, looking down at the keychain in his palm a moment with a smile as he stood back up.

"What you got there Seto?" Mokuba asked, walking up to the limo with Cameron finally.

Seto shook his head, tucking the keychain charm into his pants pocket. "Nothing. You're late," He said, opening the back door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to thank the song Cold Cold Man by Saint Motel for this chapter and the next one. Because it was just so fitting. Omfg.
> 
> "Oh my love  
> I know I am a cold cold man  
> Quite slow to pay you compliments  
> Or public displayed affections
> 
> But baby don't you go overanalyze  
> No need to theorize  
> I can put your doubts to rest"
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I overheard some guy call somebody an "Old cabbage" Yesterday. Thought it was the funniest insult. It was so strange I thought it was clever.

It was going on two weeks since the cruise event. Nothing bad had happened since. But there was also nothing good. It was ordinary living. Seto spent the majority of his time at work. This was not a surprise. Mokuba had always said that one of his brother's downfalls. He worked too much which made him uptight. And Cameron understood that. She admired her husband for his dedication to the business. There were more days where she absolutely couldn't stand the man. And then was also a lot of traits she did find attractive about him as well. She did marry him after all. He didn't force her into marriage. What he said was right that night.

While Seto kept his position as CEO of Kaiba Corp. And of course Mokuba being second in command. It left Cameron as the student. She knew nothing about running a corporation. She was happy being just a nurse and to an extent, her husband was too. Though, he still expected her to know enough of what she had married into. Most of her teachings were at home in the study which was also part of the library. While other tasks were to learn the business. Seto requested that Cameron had taken the same courses Mokuba took when he attended college. She attended business classes every other day at a local college. Under her maiden name, so far nobody had noticed her yet. She didn't want the public to bother her. It was also one of the nice occasions where she didn't need Isono or another bodyguard by her side as having a guy following you every waking moment would draw out too much suspicion. Cameron was the one who had asked to take classes at a local college. She liked having freedom and the will to do things on her own without the Kaiba name taking away the ability to live normally.

It was around seven at night when Cameron arrived back to the empty manor. It was one of her night classes. She preferred it because it was more lonely at night when there was no Mokuba and of course no Seto. Most of the help left at nine pm with the exception of a few having seniority who stayed overnight. Cameron has dressed comfortably in leggings a tee with one of Mokuba's old plaid shirts unbuttoned as an overcoat. She let out a sigh as she dropped her shoulder bag to the floor and set her iced latte on the small table in the mudroom. As she bent down to untie her shoes is when the young butler approached her.

"Hi Kaito," Cameron greeted him in Japanese, looking up at him as she finished untying her shoes and stepped out of them.

"Hello Mrs.Kaiba," He answered.

"Ah--Mr.Kaiba said to meet him in the ballroom on the bottom floor," He said slowly in English to make sure he pronounced his syllables correctly.

"I know, he already told me," She said blandly, the attitude directed more towards her husband and not so much towards the poor butler.

He gave her a light nod and turned quick, feeling a bit awkward with the encounter. As he made it further down to the hall Cameron headed to the staircase with her half-empty coffee cup and bag back over her shoulder. She stopped by the bottom step of the staircase, hand on the carved wood of the railing.

"Hey Kaito," She called to him. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at her.

"Thank you," She said in a softer tone, feeling a bit hard for directing her sour attitude towards him.

He gave a shy smile nodding again before walking off.

Cameron headed upstairs to the west wing to her bedroom. She opened the door and set her bag down on the chair of her desk. With the straw in her mouth, she noticed a red designer dress neatly laid on the foot of her bed by one of the maids. She rolled her eyes as she sipped her latte before tossing it aggressively in the trash pail nearby. She picked the garment from the wire hanger that was protected in plastic from the dry cleaners to examine it. The color was more of a crimson shade of red with a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps that were connected to the back having two strips of fabric criss-cross by where the shoulder blades would be along with a set of straps, also criss-cross at the middle back area. It was knee length with a small slit cut in the bottom of the dress to give a good view of leg. Cameron pulled her phone out of her bag and texted her husband back finally.

_'I found that thing you said was on my bed.'_

Knowing that she wouldn't get a response right away she tossed the phone onto her desk and headed to her bathroom to shower. Once she was finishing washing up she headed back out, wrapped in a short fluffy robe as she wrung her wet hair out with a towel. Her eyes automatically dashed to the screen of her phone. She swiped open her messages having a glimpse of her main screen pop up which was a photo of Cameron on the left side and Mokuba on the right grinning at the camera with Seto front and center in the background of one of the Kaiba Corp jets staring straight ahead with an unimpressed frown. The message popped up from 'Old Cabbage Husband'. It was a running joke between the three of them. As Mokuba was titled 'Sweet Peach Brother' under his contact info.

_'You're welcome. I'll be home in 10 minutes. You can head down to the ballroom without me.'_

The message read. Cameron didn't take the time to answer him as she tossed the phone back down and picked up the dress as she headed back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

\--

Seto had arrived within 10 minutes like he said. He had made a detour from the back of the mansion where the door was that lead up the ballroom. He used the key he had prior to open it and step in. The sound of the unexpected door made the two butlers turn in surprise. An older maid shortly walked in from the back room that leads into the kitchen.

"Welcome home Mr.Kaiba," Her eyes were gentle along with her smile. She had always been one of the maids Seto favored. She was Thai, with her name meaning heart which Seto also thought suitable because she was always so kind hearted to him even at his worst.

"Hello Hathai," He greeted her softly as he began to slip his white blazer off only having the maid assist him with it. Seto's eyes scanned the setup of the ballroom that was scarcely decorated compared to the large size of the room. Seto had only used it once throughout the time he has owned the estate. It was a ballroom that Gozaburo was quite fond of using when parties were hosted there years ago. Only one round table was brought out and dressed. Close to the antique fireplace that hasn't been refurbished since the old man has been alive. Hathia draped the blazer over her arm as she started walking out.

"Should I call Mrs.Kaiba down for you Sir?" She asked sweetly.

Kaiba shook his head. "No, I'll call her myself thank you," He told her as he took a seat at the table and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Both butlers stood by the longer rectangular table that had also been dressed and set up with the hors-d'oeuvres, drinks and other picking.

Seto put his ear to the phone once he heard the ringtone begin. It only took a second or so for Cameron to pick up.

"What!" She answered in a huff.

"I'm home. I'd like you to wear a pair of heels when you come down please," He spoke to her calmly, almost inexpressive like he does.

"I'm not even done with my hair yet Seto. You're going to have to wait!" Cameron's voice could be heard further away as it was made obvious that she was fiddling with something on the other end of the phone.

"Take your time. I just wanted to inform you," He continued his cool tone, catching eyes with the Kaito who happened to be there. He quickly turned away from Mr.Kaiba, continuing his napkin folding.

"Alright. See you in five," Her voice still holding agitation.

"Take your time," He repeated as he only got a hurried goodbye from Cameron. Seto set the phone down on the table once the call ended. He rested on the back of the chair, closing his eyes with his head lifting up. A sigh escaped him as he opened his eyes again and stared over at Kaito.

"Pour me a glass of wine would you?" He said in annoyance.

\--

Almost 20 minutes past and at this time Seto considered calling back, for the third time. As his wife blatantly ignored his phone calls. Instead of losing patience he stayed seated, sipping the glass of wine as he opened the Duel Link app and played incognito so he wasn't bombarded with game requests and messages. Seto didn't pick his head until he felt eyes on him.

"You look beautiful in that dress," He said with a small amount of pride evident in his voice as he stood to pull out a chair for his wife.

Cameron had the bottom of her hair slightly curled only wearing light makeup and pink bunny slippers on that definitely did not match the outfit. She held the same pair of nude pumps she wore on the cruise ship in her hand. She set them down under the table and sat down.

"Why a Jessica Rabbit dress? That's what I want to know," She asked, staring blankly at the butlers who gawked for a moment.

"Red is your favorite color," He answered, helping push in her chair as he walked around to sit back down on his own.

"And I wanted to see you in something daring. Just for me," He gave an arrogant smile as he said it.

"I guess you forgot about the butlers. Who also seem to like it," She added, unenthusiastically with an arm stretched out holding an empty wine glass out for it to be filled.

"I'll take what I can get. With your rotten attitude, I was expecting you to come down in a turtleneck," He rested back in his chair as Cameron's glass was filled. He made a hand gesture to have the first course brought over.

"Now, now you old cabbage. Don't give me ideas. I might just go back upstairs and change," She smiled mischievously as she sipped at her wine and set the glass down once a plate of salad was set in front of her.

"I like the mood you're in. Will you stay still pleasant all night?" He scoffed at her, starting to cut his salad into smaller pieces.

"If you rub me the right way sure," She sneered back, continuing to use the same sarcasm against him.

His blue eyes slowly turned up to stare at her deviously. "I will rub you whatever way you want me to," He spoke to her smoothly in French so the butlers couldn't catch on.

His unexpected flirting caused Cameron to choke on the bit of lettuce she was chewing. She covered her mouth with her cloth napkin having a butler rush over and pour water in one of the empty glasses. Her coughing turned into laughter as she couldn't believe her ears.

"Alright Seto Kaiba," She took a sip of water, tilting her head to the side as she studied his face.

"What are your true motives for this evening?" She asked with suspicion.

He stayed quiet as he finished chewing, enjoying the banter for once. "After the incident on the cruise ship. I wanted to show you some attention," He continued to speak in French to keep their conversion private as he hesitated on the word 'attention' forgetting the translation a moment.

She nodded, finding a strange comfort with him choosing to speak to her in the other language she was fluent in. "And was this your idea or Mokuba's?" She answered back in French, catching his game.

He looked at her puzzled, flustering his brows together as if she were crazy. "Mine. Why must you think I can't decide these kind things on my own?" His voice deepened in frustration.

"You aren't very suave," She answered quite crass, taking another sip of wine.

The comment earned her that signature look of displeasure from her husband. Seto pulled the napkin out of his lap and tossed it aside and stood up, scraping his chair against the floor as it made a terrible scratching noise.

"Start the music," He commanded them, back in English now.

They both nodded with only Kaito sprinting away to the other side of the room where the grand piano was. Cameron raised a brow, having her eyes follow the young butler only having her view be taken back to her husband who was now in front of her.

"Put your heels on, please," He said, adjusting his blue tie.

"You want to dance? Is that why you wanted me to bring my heels?" She frowned, bending down to take her slippers off and pull on her shoes. Seto took a hold of her hand gently once she was finally secure in her heels.

"You were upset that I didn't slow dance with you that night," He said, gingerly guiding her to the middle of the dance floor.

She trotted with him, stopping once Seto came to a halt and placed his right palm to Cameron's back and took hold of the right hand. The small brunette instinctively pressed her palm onto the back of her husband's upper arm. Kaito sat patiently on the piano stool, waiting for the two to be conjoined properly. Seto gave him a look, having the young man start playing a delicate tune on the keys.

With the right rhythm, Seto started to waltz with his wife. The CEO was actually very good at classical dancing. As it was required of him to know as a boy. With that being said, so was Cameron. As she had also learned the proper way to dance when she lived a life in England. She enjoyed the closeness to her husband. That was brought upon by his own tenderness.

"You should have worn taller heels," He whispered to her as they made circles around the room slowly.

"Sorry, it's kinda hard when your husband is literally a tree," She mumbled back, losing concentration as she stumbled onto Seto's feet and bumped into his chest. He paused, taking a step back and released her from his grip.

"Let's stop, for now, okay?" He kept a hold on her hand as a sign of affection.

"Okay," She squeezed his hand, spinning around as she pulled him to the direction of the table and grabbed the open bottle of wine by the neck and turned again to head out of the ballroom only to be stopped by Seto.

"Where are you dragging me?" He asked in question, stopping in his tracks.

"I want to be with you alone. It's too hollow here," She turned to face him, loosening her grip on his hand.

He slowly nodded, understanding what she meant. He felt the same. "Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere but in here," She said, slipping her hand away and grabbing two wine glasses with her free hand.

"Come on!" She started running off again, stopping by the piano where Kaito still was.

"I didn't know you could play the piano. You're very good at it. You should do it again sometimes," She gave him a gentle smile before heading back towards the door.

Cameron's smile made Kaito smile, not expecting a compliment at all. He looked over at the older butler in the room for reassurance. Seto stood in place watching his wife in curiosity.

"Come on Seto!" She yelled out from afar as she was becoming further away. The butlers watched on in amusement as they were just as confused as their boss. The CEO swiftly turned to the table that had the spread laid out on. He grabbed a baguette that was still enclosed in its paper wrapping and headed off to follow his wife.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh my love  
> I know you're used to desperate men  
> Who say the words that others said  
> For too long and for too often
> 
> But baby you can lay off a little bit  
> No need to smother it  
> I can put your doubts to rest"
> 
> This chapter did not write out the way I expected it to but I'm not mad about it! I guess Kaiba used his own manipulation to turn the tables where Cam gushed her past out instead of his. I'm unsure how their dynamic will play out now. YOU'RE WINGING IT WITH ME PEOPLE!

For a few minutes, the task of finding his wife was a game of hide and seek. Though, knowing Cameron enough it only took Seto two tries to find her after checking the game room first and then headed upstairs towards her bedroom. The door was already cracked open he pushed it open fully with his free hand, still carrying the baguette in the other.

"Cameron?" He inspected the dark room before stepping in. There was a cutesy ceramic lamp that was dimly lit. It was a small thing, hand painted and vintage looking. His wife's room was the only feminine feature of the mansion.

"I'm out here," She called out to him joyously.

The back of brunette could be seen from the other side of the glass door that lead out to the balcony and was attached to the far back of her bedroom. Her pumps were already laid on the floor at the bottom of her bed which was unmade with the blankets missing and the array of decorative throw pillows and plush toys gone. He raised a brow, making his was in the doorway of the balcony. Some type of makeshift sofa was created with the pillows and stuffies. The duvet from the bed draped over everything like a covering. Cameron was sitting on top of this toppled plush mess. The bottle of opened wine was on the floor in front of her with her glass half gone already.

"Oh good! You brought the bread!" She said in almost a squeal. Her legs were laid out straight having the bottom of her dress ride up just a bit to show more of her upper thighs. The stuffed fluffal lion served as an armrest for her as it was crammed in the corner of the wall of the balcony.

Seto awkwardly lowered himself down next to her, his weight shifting the clumps of the soft mass under the blanket. He set the baguette down next to the wine as Cameron handed him her glass and scooted closer to him to cuddle into his side. He took the glass, lifting his other arm up for her to settle comfortably into his chest and laid his arm around her small waist. Silence fell upon them, with Cameron glancing up at her husband with a content squint. As Seto's eyes focused more on the full moon that was lighting up the dark sky. He sipped at the remainder of wine Cameron left in the glass, feeling quite juvenile as this was a situation he'd never voluntarily put himself in. Lounging out on some monstrosity of pillows was not what he considered romantic. But he tolerated it for the sake of his wife.

"Thank you for spending your extra time with me tonight," She cooed to him, with smiling eyes as she kneaded her palms into his chest.

He shifted his eyes down to her face, giving a light squeeze to her waist. "I wanted to put some of your doubts to rest. To nip this bad behavior of yours into the bud," He finished the last sip of wine and leaned forward carefully for the wine bottle, not to knock it over as he filled the glass up halfway.

She straightened her posture a bit, casting her eyes down at their legs which were touching his. Her mouth formed a pout.

"So, are you spending time with me because you want to or is it a ruse to get me to act the way you want me too?" Her expression quickly hardened as she shifted her legs away from his.

He lowered his gaze on her again, keeping a firm grip on her waist and pressed her side into his as a form of reassuring for his wife. 

"I'm obviously very aware of how you feel about me. Tonight I'm showing you that I'm taking your feelings into consideration," He set the wine glass down once more seeing that she wasn't softening up from his words.

"Now Cameron," He took hold of her chin gently for her to look up at him.

"Enjoy the night. Don't start over analyzing everything, okay?" He ran his thumb across her bottom lip just to tease her.

"Okay," Cameron murmured back to him, wrapping her fingers around his wrist and pulled him closer for her to kiss. He caught the gist quickly as he leaned in close to brush his lips against hers. Cameron made the kiss linger, grabbing hold of his sides gently and resting in the corner of the balcony with her back comfortable against the plushies and the cluster of pillows. Seto only followed her lead because it was the only thing that seemed to make her behave. In reality apart from the CEO's true intentions to tame her with his affection. As some of these loving gestures were honest. He only permitted Cameron's forceful temperament in certain instances like this in order to gain back some type of control.

The kissing became more heated as it continued. Seto had gotten more tangled into Cameron's grasp as her legs spread open for her husband to fit closer to her. Her hands found the back of his upper shoulders with her palms pressed firmly to the fabric of his crisp collar shirt. He opened his mouth a bit wider, keeping his neck tilting to maneuver his mouth better with hers. Keeping a calm gaze on his wife's face as she let out a soft moan of pleasure. He kept a grip on the wooden frame of the glass door so he didn't completely fall into Cameron's small structure. As the hand that had a hold on her waist was traveling towards different parts of her body until he managed to snake his fingers up her bare leg and pushed her already rode up dress further up past her rear.

Cameron finally broke the kiss with panting to follow as she felt his hand grip on her upper thigh, starting to massage her skin of her inner thigh. Her mouth releasing from his didn't discourage the cunning brunette as his kisses trailed down her dainty neck.

"Seto," She whined softly to him, only having her moan encourage him more. He lowered his head down to graze his wife's collarbones with lips. Suckling at them gently with a playful nip at her skin. Cameron felt beside herself, rolling her head back and forth with her eyes closed. She grabbed onto his wrist once she felt his delicate touch against the fabric of her panties.

"Seto!" She whined again, this time sounding more pained than pleasured. It caused her husband to shoot his head up in alarm, swiftly removing his hand and pressed it against the duvet.

"What?" His eyes widened in concern, His sudden expression gave Cameron a fright when his eyes caught hers. She has only seen two sides of her husband which was either anger or dullness. She wasn't sure if it was the booze or not for his vibrancy.

"What was your mother like?" She asked softly. Staring back at him as she watched his shocked expression slowly darken into disgust.

"What a daft thing to ask! Was that honestly in your head just now?" Those piercing blue eyes bore right through her again as he sat up straight in disbelief.

"I feel like I don't know anything about you Seto. Can't I at least learn things about yo--"

"What are you talking about Cameron! You know plenty of things about me!" He shouted at her in outrage, stretching a leg up to prop his elbow upon his knee as he ran his fingers through his fringe. He had turned his body away from, too rattled to look at her. Had he fallen into her manipulation yet again? Was this a ploy for her to trap him into some ridiculous 'kumbaya' therapy session?

"No, I don't Seto! I want to know things about you that I can't find in a magazine or be told from the mouth of your brother!" Her voice had formed into that annoying, head splitting whiny shrill.

He kept his back turned to her with his gaze back towards the sky in thought. How could he have let her trap him into something so easily like this? Was he going weak to her tricks of emotional manipulation? He continued to twist a finger around a strain of his hair only smoothing it out right after. He rested a hand on his forehead now, closing his eyes to compose himself.

She could tell her husband felt not only discomfort but possibly betrayal from her. Seto Kaiba did not like questions asked. Cameron had learned quickly that Seto did not like to talk about the past or even acknowledge it. Mokuba had said that was the biggest thing him and his brother fought about it. The older Kaiba carried a lot of baggage. Not only from his childhood but also from whatever difficulties he dealt with the loss of his friend Atem--or whatever his name was.

"I feel like somedays you could be the love of my life. And other days. Just like now. You feel like a stranger to me," She stayed seated in the corner, feeling more secure there as she pulled a stuffed puffin out from under the blanket and into her lap. She held it close.

"Well isn't that too damn bad for you," His words showed no inkling of compassion. His arrogance was the best defense mechanism he had. Her husband didn't like feeling anything that could possibly hurt him. Cameron was back behind the wall she thought she slowly tearing down. It would have been a lie if she didn't admit his blunt words didn't sting.

She purposely stretched her leg out for it to brush against his. He didn't make a move but she could tell that he did glance down at her thigh. She slowly scooted closer to be back beside him.

"I lost my virginity to my brother Bobby's best friend Norm. We had to keep our relationship a secret because Bobby was very protective of me," She squeezed the stuffed bird in her arms, pressing her nose to the top of its head for comfort.

Seto slowly blinked in skepticism as he scanned his eyes back down to Cameron's face. "You don't have a brother named Bobby," His tone still dry, staring at her hard as he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of her tiny nude colored panties.

"Yes I do, he is my half-brother--"

"I never met him. Are you making this up? Who's side is he from?" He laid his arm down by his side in disbelief. Questions muddled his brain as he thought he had her figured out. She had never told him any of this. The woman had four brothers he had the displeasure of meeting. Was she ever going to tell him about secret family members?

"No, I'm not making this up!" She looked up at him harshly, the hurt was evident in her tone.

"He's from my father's side. Both my parents were married beforehand. And my father was a big playboy. So it's no surprise that he has kids from other women," She explained, having her husband listen unenthused.

"Is he American too? Is he a criminal? Is that why he didn't attend our wedding? What else are you hiding from me, Cameron!" A heavy feeling of betrayal soaked into Seto's heart. All of this was very disturbing to him. he did not like secrets. Even though he was the keeper of many.

"I'm not hiding anything! Can't you see I'm trying to open up towards you? You wanted to know who've I've been with before you. Norm was my first and Jason was my second. I've only slept with two men in my whole life," She lowered her head, having the puffin help hide her face. A sense of shame fell upon her as she talked about the men that she had once belonged to.

Seto continued to cast judgment on her with his stare, feeling like he gained superiority again he dulled his sharp tongue.

"I know who Jason is. He was an American soldier who was stationed in the area you were studying in. He didn't treat you very well," Out of all the names she had said tonight Jason was the only one he had recognized. And he only knew this from Mokuba. Most things about Cameron's past he learned from the younger Kaiba as the two spent more time together.

His wife nodded as he spoke. "He was very controlling, to begin with. And it worsened the second time he came back from being deployed. That's when his personality took a complete change. He became more belligerent. Started self-harming. And became very demanding of me." 

There was an unsettling feeling when she mentioned that.

"What do you mean by demanding of you?" His interest was peaked at this point. As Cameron had indicated some possible type of abuse she might have endured.

A weak smile soon grew on her face, lowering her stuffy back in her lap. "That's beside the point right now. I found comfort in the wrong ways with Norm. As we still kept our relationship a secret from my brother. Norm turned out to be an alcoholic. So neither of the guys I chose were very suitable. And when I agreed to this marriage my brother Bobby thought I was betraying him. Taking it as I was too good for living a normal life with him and Norm."

Seto hung on every word his wife had to say, as it was the first time she had expressed anything deep to him like this. He reached over running his fingers to the back of her hair as a sign of comfort for her.

"There are far better things here for you than there are in America," He scoffed, taking a hold of his wife's waist and tucked her back under his arm. Cameron kept her eyes lowered, sagging her shoulders as she tried to relax against Seto's chest.

"Bobby always protected me from anything bad. That's why he never wanted me to get involved with Norm. They are buddies but he knew how men are," She let the puffin fall out of her lap so she could turn and cuddle back into Seto's side.

A faint smile appeared on Seto's stone face. Relating to that protective brother role is what he knew best. As he now understood Cameron's mindset on men. It was not only learned from the mistakes of past lovers but also the teachings of an overbearing brother.

He leaned into and peck her lips. "I will not let anything bad happen to you either," He told her in a seriousness with his voice deepening.

At this point, Cameron became putty in her husband's hands. She cupped his face and kissed back multiple times. "It's getting late. Will you sleep in my bed tonight? I don't want to be alone," She whispered to him.

Preferring not to but not wanting to decline to keep her mood mellowed he submitted to her request. "Okay," he answered quietly, brushing noses with hers as he caught her lips again just to get a taste of her mouth once more.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's sort of a recap of the cabin room scene in chapter 11. But this time Kaiba taking Cam's words into consideration. Instead of getting pissed about her temper tantrum. I'd like to think that older Kaiba learned a bit from his former young spoiled, selfish and power hungry self. Where he kinda chilled out and is self-aware of how much of an asshole he'd been. (Which is pretty much canon) Again, I like to contrast Season 0/manga Kaiba with his anime form who has more morals. 
> 
> Sidenote: Not on purpose but I realized that I made Cam have a characteristic with holding things close to her/hiding her face when upset. And Kaiba playing with his bangs???? I mean, it's fitting to his character, right? It's a cute nervous tick.

Seto had helped remake the bed, leaving a few of those plush toys off as he convinced Cameron that they were just going to get in the way. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her stroll into the walk-in closet. He took notice of how the dress shaped her body as she walked. He mentally gave himself praise for the good choice of clothing. Once she closed the door to the closet he stayed seated only to stand back up and start undressing. He carried his clothes in his arms, only wearing fitted boxers as he cracked the door open to the closet and stepped behind his wife to plop his clothing in the hamper. It caused friction right away as Cameron spun around to stare up at him in shock.

"Seto! I'm not dressed yet!" She whined, holding an oversized t-shirt over her chest.

"I've already seen you naked. You can drop the prude act," He rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck as he didn't bother to even take a glance at her.

"You're no virgin," He mumbled just low enough for her to hear as he walked back towards the bed.

His comment caused her to spin around, keeping the shirt over her chest. "Is that what you take me for? Some type of whore because you have a warped concept of how a woman should be to her husband!" She frowned, overcome with heartache instead of rage.

"You need to get out of that bad habit of twisting my words," Seto said dryly. He thought the shadows that casted over his wife's face from the dim lights of the closet made her look oddly attractive.

"I do not think of you as a whore. I wouldn't marry a loose woman. I just think it's ridiculous that I'm your husband and sometimes you act like a schoolgirl who never even had her first kiss yet."

"I just told you that there are times where you just feel like a stranger to me. So that should answer your question," She slipped the shirt away from her chest as she pulled it over her head no longer caring if he saw her bare skin or not at this point.

Seto didn't respond. Seeing that there was no point to answer. She was right as her words were eerily similar to what Mokuba has said over the years.

He watched her dress briefly before laying down and claimed the right side of the bed. The side he always slept on in his own bed. He looked up when he felt the shift of weight of the mattress as Cameron crawled over his legs to lay next to him. Once she seemed comfortable under the covers with him Seto inched closer towards her to reach his arm out to hold her. His gesture was only denied as Cameron used an extra pillow to separate them.

"Why are you suddenly being difficult?" He sighed in annoyance, squishing the top of the pillow down to stare coolly at her.

Only her bangs and eyes could be seen from behind the pillow as she hid most of her face from him. "I'm not like you, Seto. I can't just strip my clothes off and play around like you do. I want to feel something out of it," Her stare wasn't angry like it normally would be when they argued.

"You're still hung up on that? You said you weren't jealous of my old affairs," He spoke with displeasure, pushing the pillow more downwards so he could see her face fully.

"That's because I'm not jealous!" She swatted his hand away to hold the pillow against her chest.

"I can care less what women you've slept with. It's not about the women. It's the approach of it. You didn't love any of those women. You saw them appealing so you took the bait. I don't want to show you my vulnerable parts just for fun. I don't care if you have the title of my husband. I want to feel safe with you while doing it," Finally getting riled up she shoved the pillow into him with force and flopped onto her side to have her back facing him.

He winced only slightly at the sudden jab, pushing the pillow back out of his way and slowly sat up silently. Cameron twisted to the side to look up as he stood at the foot of the bed.

"Are you leaving?" She asked with a whimper.

"You asked me to stay. But seeing that your mood has changed I'll leave you be now," He told her calmly, only having Cameron grab onto his hand once he started stepping away from the bed. She sat up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his waist as she pressed herself close to his back. He could feel the ends of her hair touch his bare skin.

"I just want to feel something from you Seto," She whispered weakly in his ear.

He felt a sudden chill in his body. Maybe it was the way she said his name that gave remnants of how his brother spoke when they were children. Opening up has been a struggle that felt like an eternity. The constant need for control had ruined bonds to where some could not be fully rebuilt. He lowered his body bad down in defeat as his wife stayed clung to his back. He turned to embrace her in a hug, squeezing her tightly. Not really knowing how to react he stayed silent only wanting to give her reassurance.

Cameron wiggling closer to him, nuzzling into his neck as she slipped somewhat into his lap. He kissed the top of her head and let her stay there as he rethought the entire process of this marriage. And how he didn't take much of any of this into consideration.

"Lay back down with me?" She squeaked out, perking her head up from the crook of his shoulder.

Seto obliged, releasing her from his grip and laid back down once she was settled under the covers again. This time she stayed smothered to his side like a child. This was really starting to feel uncomfortable for the cold-hearted brunette as the situation was making him relieve a feeling he'd rather forget.

"Do you want me to press against you back?" She asked quietly, glancing up at him softly.

"What? No," He answered bitterly, stroking the ends of her hair with his fingers.

"It'll help you sleep," She rubbed at his the back of his shoulders.

"I'll sleep just fine," He scolded, placing a palm on her lower back.

\--

The time seemed to go by painfully slow leaving Seto in the dark with his troubled thoughts. At this point, Cameron was a sleeping lump under the covers that had rolled over away from him and sprawled out on the other side of the bed. The exhausted CEO thought of leaving this God forsaken bed a few times by now but instead, he laid flat on his back. Staring up at the tall ceiling only now just noticing the floral border that was engraved in the woodwork. His room didn't have this ceiling. He wondered if all the bedrooms had different designs. He closed his eyes tightly, realizing how stupid he was thinking.

He sat up, reaching over to pick up his phone from the end table where he laid it down beforehand when he undressed. He looked over at his wife's sleeping form to make sure he didn't wake her as he gently laid backdown and scrolled through his phone. He squinted when the light of his phone turned on. After entering his password he started investing the three men Cameron had mentioned. Searching for her brother Bobby first, figuring he'd be the easiest one to find before her two exes. A couple of minutes passed with no satisfying result. He'd have to look these men more professionally later on.

Seto's body stiffened as Cameron found her way back to his side. He shifted a bit, stretching his arm under her as he allowed her to crawl sluggishly back against him. He gave some sort of half smirk, looking down at her fragile state. It had been years since he had held somebody like this. Holding her small body reminded him more of a child. Which in a strange way only brought him back to holding onto Mokuba when they were young. Thinking about it long enough Cameron may have been right about the past affairs. He never held any of them like this. Seto would excuse himself right after the deed was done. There was no cuddling. He didn't desire that. The selfish CEO Just wanted his animalistic cravings to be fulfilled. He didn't want to be bothered with the emotional baggage that came with women. Especially at that time where he could barely handle his own brothers. And at this moment was he ready to handle Cameron?

She was a handful already. He was only just now beginning to read her. Seto took a deep breath and exhaled, setting his phone back on the nightstand as he turned back onto his side. He wrapped his arm around his wife to keep her nestled close to him as she seemed to want to be. Seto hadn't even realized he had drifted off to sleep until he heard a familiar voice from afar. It was Mokuba. He opened his eyes slowly, finding himself with a face full of his wife's hair. He turned his head to look over at the alarm clock seeing that it was 4:00 AM and he only had an hour left to sleep.

The longer he laid there the words his brother spoke were becoming more clear. Damn it, he was reciting another one of those trivial movie scripts again.

"Every day for the past ten years, Loretta's been giving me a large black coffee, today she gives me a large black coffee only it has sugar in it!" The younger Kaiba's voice got closer as he approached the bedroom door.

The older Kaiba flopped back down, closing his eyes trying to get as much rest as possible. He pressed his face into the pillow wishing that his brother would get tired of this shtick already. And it didn't as the lines from Sudden Impact was only getting louder in the hall.

"A whole lot of sugar!--" Mokuba's tall broad-shouldered shadow could be seen from outside the door.

"Go ahead! Make my day!" He cracked the door open, popping his face in with a toothy grin only having it fade straight away as the only thing that could be seen was his older brother sitting up in bed, bare chest visible and staring at Mokuba with complete indifference to his display.

"Why don't you remember the transcripts I give you by heart like you do with this frivolous nonsense?" A smug smile grew on the older Kaiba's face seeing the how lit up in shock Mokuba had gotten from seeing him there.

"Aw shit!" Mokuba squawked, shutting the door in a hurry having it a soft slam come from it.

"Sorry, Seto! I didn't know!" The younger Kaiba apologized, only thinking the most awkward of things. Walking in on the aftermath of something private to his already secretive brother.

Seto rubbed his face in exhaustion and stood from the bed as he opened the door to greet his brother again. "Get your mind out of the gutter Mokuba. Why are you being so noisy this early in the morning?"

"It's Thursday. I told Cam I'd go jogging with her before work," Mokuba said, holding a to-go coffee cup in his hand.

With that being said Seto pushed the door open wider as he looked back at the bed where Cameron was still sleeping. He didn't really want to wake her. A feeling of dread fell over him at the thought of already starting the day while he hasn't even slept yet.

"I'll wake her. I'll tell her you'll be waiting downstairs?" He asked his brother coolly.

Mokuba shrugged. "Sounds good to me," He took a sip of coffee.

With tired eyes, Seto began to close the door. Just as Mokuba was walking off the other Kaiba opened it again and peered his head out of the room.

"Oh, and Mokuba. One last thing," he called to him calmly.

"Yeah?" His brother spun around on one foot slowly to look back at him, cup still to his lips as he was ready to sip.

"Next time. Spare the long speech," He shot Mokuba a glare, having him not being fazed by the slightest his older brother's stare anymore.

Seto closed the door and turned back to the bed and arched over to hold of Cameron's shoulder. "Mokuba came up to go jogging," He leaned in close to her ear and spoke softly, slipping back into bed.

It took Cameron a moment to respond as she stirred in her sleep, shifting in bed and slowly perked her head up to squint up at her husband. "What?" She whispered, hair stuck to her face.

"Mokuba is waiting for you downstairs to go jogging," He repeated, stretching a hand over to brush smooth the hair out of her face.

Cameron squinted hard with a pout, turning her head away from him and sat up. "I forgot," She sighed, slipping out of bed.

After changing into a more suitable outfit which consisted of leggings and a tank top she walked out from the walk-in closet.

"Are you staying here to sleep?" She asked, tying up her hair into a high ponytail. She stood in front of the bed with Seto buried under the covers, face hidden in a pillow.

Her husband's lean muscular frame lay motionless as a mumbled "Yes," escaped him, changing positions under the covers again.

"Would you like me to get you an outfit and bring it in here for you to change?" She asked sweetly, waiting a moment as she got no answer and quietly left the room to let him sleep.

A few minutes passed, Seto stayed in a light sleep as he heard shuffling about in the room and lifted his head up groggily once he heard the soft squeak of the door closing. A dusty blue color blazer with dark blue suit pants was laid over the back of her desk chair neatly. A white dress shirt, salmon pink tie and suspenders accompanied the rest of the outfit.

He smirked as he thumped his head back onto the pillow and let his heavy eyelids close again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Yugi grew on me so much. I like him a lot. Headcanon for the tattoos. And actual cannon for the fact that the gentle rebel works for Kaiba on games. Every single time I wrote Yugi's lines all I heard was Dan Green's voice. And I'm not mad about it! Went straight with elements of DsoD Here. Hope I didn't butcher it that much. But whatever. Enjoy anyway!~

Mokuba was taking the lead as he ran laps around the perimeter of the Kaiba manor. Cameron easily was lagging behind as she watched the younger Kaiba with caution everytime he decided to flip, dip and jump onto the structures of the side of the building. He managed to climb up of the gigantic stone shaped vases of the garden. The outer side was green from age with moss growing in the grooves of the carving details. Mokuba stood on top of the edge, legs wide apart as he jumped down into a summer salt and hopped back on his feet with a bounce.

Cameron stopped in her tracks once she caught up with him, standing a couple of feet away in shock.

"Mokuba you're going to give me a heart attack when you do that!" She placed a hand on her chest as the younger Kaiba proceeded to do a backflip and land back on his feet right in front of his sister-in-law.

He grinned big, finding amusement out of Cameron's worried expression. "Wow Cam, Seto is really rubbing off on you," He chuckled, grabbing a hold of her small shoulders gently and patted her head close to his face.

She elbowed him playfully, pushing away to stand back up straight. "It's a normal reaction! I don't want you to smash your face in!" She frowned.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not. I've been free-running for far too long. I used to scare Seto a lot when I was little. I used to climb up the outside of the mansion all the time. I broke my front tooth twice and my back tooth another time from missing a jump," He explained, grinning again as he pointed out his fake teeth.

"You should still be careful!" She leaned in on one foot to grab onto his muscular arm and gave him a light punch.

He quickly pulled away letting out an over exaggerated groan, rubbing his arm. "Ow! Ow! Oh, my arm! I think you broke it!" He bent down, acting like he was in pain.

While he was turned Cameron hopped forward and leaped onto Mokuba's back. 

"Take me back to the door!" She wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders.

"Aye, Aye Mrs.Kaiba!" The younger Kaiba stood up straight, sliding his arms under Cameron's knees to hold her steady and arched his back slightly as he started to sprint back to the front door.

Cameron tucked her face closer to the back of Mokuba's shoulder to keep his long low ponytail from hitting her in the mouth. She let out a squeal of excitement once the younger Kaiba picked up speed and abruptly stopped in his tracks. He lowered himself down with a pant as Cameron hopped off.

"Thank you," She said gently with a smile, reaching over to smooth his hair down.

"You're so light! It's like carrying nothing!" He straightened his back, turning to walk up the stone path that leads to the front door.

He gestured for her to walk past him and stopped.

"Ladies first!--Oh! Before I forget! Did Seto already tell you that you're accompanying Yugi today for a confess to one of his game designs?"

Cameron started to walk forward to the door and stopped, giving a blank stare. "No, he didn't. When was this planned? Is there a reason why he decided to tell me last minute?" She asked in annoyance.

Mokuba shrugged. "Maybe because he knows you won't get mad if I tell you? I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to start an argument with you."

"Well, telling me last minute is going to start an argument with me," Cameron scoffed, turning back around and took hold of Mokuba's arm gently.

"Can I ask you something?" Her tone softened along with her exterior.

The younger Kaiba raised a brow as his mouth formed a questionable frown. "Of course Cam! What is it?"

"Do you think you're brother actually loves me?" She lowered her eyes a bit as she asked this, keeping her gentle grip on the young man's sleeve.

Mokuba stayed silent, eyes cast down at his sister-in-law in concern.

"Yeah, of course!" He exclaimed. His tone didn't show reassurance as Cameron still looked worrisome.

"I mean--yeah!" He tried to convince her. Honestly not knowing Seto's true feelings. Mokuba knew that his brother did not feel emotions like other people. He has only confessed his frustrations about Cameron towards him. And that did not involve showing any inkling of sappiness from the older Kaiba. That was just not a characteristic he showed. Mokuba let out a sigh, slipping his arm away from her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, I don't want to sound like a broken record here. But I've said it before. Seto has _really_ thick skin. Just because he doesn't show it doesn't mean he doesn't feel it. I'm pretty sure he'd just treat you like an employee if he didn't love you--"

"He does treat me like an employee," She butted in dryly.

"No, I mean like, he'd divorce you right away. Like how he does with firing people," He explained, flustering his brows together as he caught Cameron looking sideways with narrowed eyes.

"W-what?" He blinked, looking in the direction where she was staring.

Seto could be seen standing in the large glass window of the den. Staring out at them, eyes locked on Camerons as he held the curtain open with one hand and held a coffee mug in the other. He was dressed in the outfit his wife had laid out for him. As the pink tie was swapped out for a silver and blue striped one and the slacks exchanged with the same matching dusty blue color of the blazer.

With a scowl, Cameron lifted an arm up and held her hand in the air towards the window as she flipped her husband the bird.

Mokuba's face lit up in surprise as he quickly grabbed onto her hand and lowered it.

"Aw come on Cam! Don't you want to have a good morning without any fights!"

Seto's stare became more intense into a glare as he swiftly closed the curtain. Disappearing from the window.

"That was for not bothering to tell me that I have to spend all day at Kaiba Corp," She grumbled lowly.

\--

After a quick breakfast and a bit of awkward silence as the younger Kaiba was the only one keeping whatever form of conversion alive amongst the three of them. After the other two hurried up and got dressed for the day. It was the same scenario on the drive to Kaiba Corp. Seto being the one at the steering wheel as Mokuba claimed his rightful spot at shotgun in the front next to his brother. He kept the chatter up, leaning into the back seat where Cameron was left to sit as he talked with his hands.

"It's gonna be super easy. All you have to do is sit in a meeting with Yugi discussing the game design ideas he wants to publish. It's more just to observe so you get a gist of how things work," He explained with Cameron only nodding in agreement as he spoke.

Seto listened intently, only glancing up once into the rearview mirror to look over at his wife. Aviator style sunglasses covered his eyes but Cameron could still feel his sharp gaze.

"Did you hear what Mokuba said?" He asked her gruffly, quickly looking back at the road ahead.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I heard what Mokuba said," She scoffed back and crossed her arms.

"And if anybody gives you trouble. You know what you tell 'em?" A broad grin appeared on the younger Kaiba's face.

Cameron slowly blinked as she perked her head up. "No, what?" She asked.

"You tell them--Don't fuck with me fellas! This ain't my first time at the rodeo!" Mokuba suddenly screamed out right into his brother's ear causing Seto to screech his black BMW to a halt in his exclusive parking space in the Kaiba Corp parking garage.

"Alright, Mommy Dearest. Zip it," Seto hissed through gritted teeth as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out from the car as he slipped his sunglasses off and in his coat pocket.

The impact from the older Kaiba's aggressive parking didn't discourage Mokuba's amusement as he stepped out of the car as well, picking up his brother's satchel and slid it over to him.

"I think I outgrew carrying this. Don't you think?" He pulled his hand away playfully as Seto snatched his satchel away and walked ahead of both of them. By this time Cameron was already standing out in the parking lot with them.

"Should I even venture a guess for his bad mood now?" She stood beside Mokuba, hand on her hip.

"Don't know? Maybe it's because you gave him the finger this morning," He joked with a slight chuckle, watching his brother's tall structure disappear into the elevator.

\--

After parting with Mokuba in the elevator Cameron made it to the 3rd floor. Yugi was waiting outside sitting on the long wooden bench with a bulky stuffed folder rested in his lap. The young man was looking down with an uncertain look on his face. He wore a dark purple vest with a black collar shirt under it and sleeves messily rolled up to his elbow. The KC logo was pinned to his lapel, standard to the Kaiba Corp uniform. It was also the first time Cameron noticed the ankh symbol tattooed on Yugi's forearm.

"Good morning!" The clicking of Cameron's heels stopped in front of Yugi.

She was greeted by his infectious smile, slipping his folder out of his lap and under his arm as he stood up.

"Hello, Cam!" He reached his hand out for her to shake.

She took a stronghold and shook his hand. "I was surprised when I was told I was shadowing you today," She admitted, masking her annoyance with a sweet tone.

"I know, I was too!" he answered sincerely with bright eyes.

"It's going to be nice having the back-up to be honest. I haven't been working here long and the company guys could be pretty cutthroat," A nervous chuckle escaped the young man.

Cameron tilted her head and nodded. "Yeah, I understand completely. I wake up to one almost every day," She tried making a joke only having it backfire as the attention was quickly pulled opened by stuffy looking businessmen who stepped into the conference room first.

Cameron stood there awkwardly with Yugi as they watched the other men disappear behind the door. He looked over at Cameron with his gentle smile.

"Well, shall we go in now?" He asked, grabbing onto the handle of the door. He stepped in with Cameron following behind him.

The two sat down at the large conference table. Yugi set his stuffed folder neatly down in front of him with Cameron sitting beside him. He flipped through his paperwork as he only picked out a handful of references to his most desired game designed he had in mind. He cleared his throat as he stood from the swivel chair. He explained that it was a virtual playthrough of an ancient Egyptian. Using a similar play through of capsule monsters and having to compete with an array of characters good and evil until you lead up to the final boss being the pharaoh. The crowd wasn't stirred at first until Yugi had mentioned he had an idea for online users to join. Where players could defeat opponents in a group. This way there could more goals and surprises to unlock. It took another few minutes of convincing as the other members of the board finally agreed for a prototype.

Yugi's face gleamed as he walked around the table and shook the men's hands as he thanked them multiple times. Cameron said nothing during the meeting as she only observed, charmed by the King of Game's delight.

The two walked out behind the small group of businessmen. They turned in the opposite direction of the men as Cameron kept her spot by Yugi's side.

"Congratulations on your first game acceptance!" She smiled towards the gentleman, swinging her arms slightly as she walked.

"Hey, thanks! Though it's not my first approved game. I have one I'm actually working on with Kaiba. I have a whole bunch of ideas and concepts in mind. This is the first proposal I had without going through Kaiba first," He held his folder against his chest.

"Oh? Then it really is an honor. Not having to go through Seto first. Considering that he's such a control freak," She lowered her voice, glancing away as she spoke with disgust.

Yugi glanced over at her with a smile. It stayed silent between them as they got onto the elevator. Until he turned to Cameron slightly.

"Would you like to get a bite to eat in celebration?" He asked a shyly.

Cameron tilted her head and shrugged.

"Sure, we can go to the coffee shop," she answered, not wanting to offend as she already had her rushed breakfast this morning.

They headed to the Kaiba Corp coffee shop that was on the first floor of the building. They sat at a small booth with Cameron just getting a cup of tea with Yugi getting coffee and an order of fries. Which the brunette thought was funny considering it was still late morning. She enjoyed the contrast of how different her husband's friends were compared to his strict persona. The two had minimal small talk. Such as the collection of Egyptian tattoos Yugi had. Not only the ankh on his arm but also a tiny colorful scarab was tattooed behind his ear. It was barely seen as half the time his spiked up hair covered it. The tattoo Cameron found the most interesting was the udjat eye that was located on Yugi's ankle. He explained that his friend Ryou had the matching tattoo because the udjat eye was on millennium items they both own. Which were both very important to them at one point in time. As they both had similar experiences with the supernatural. This jarring statement reminded Cameron of the conversion with Mokuba about Seto's obsession with Yugi's 'other' self.

"Hey, Yugi. Uh, I know this is extremely random but can I ask you who Atem was?" She kept her hands firmly around her cup for warmth as she kept eye contact with him. His kind expression quickly darkened with sorrow.

"I'm a little surprised that you even know who he is, to be honest," His voice kept it's liveliness.

"Well, it's hard not to know when your husband has an obsession with him. My understanding was that Atem was you," She said, plucking a french fry off the late between them and nibbled at it.

"Well, he sort of was--he was apart of me. Atem was a great friend. And a loyal ally to our group of friends. I miss him every day. For a long time, Kaiba didn't believe that Atem was his own entity. And when he found out he took me a little less serious and became engulfed in wanting to bring the pharaoh back," He explained this non-chantly to her in a gentle tone.

"Pharaoh?" Cameron's questioned.

"Yeah, Atem was a pharaoh. I know that may sound silly. But it's true. When Atem's purpose of being here with us was finished he passed on back to his own century in the afterlife and Kaiba took his death extremely hard. We all grieve differently though," He sipped the rest of his coffee and set it aside.

Cameron sat silent, taking in all of what was said. "I'm not going to lie," She finally spoke.

"That is pretty wild. And I guess it must be true for my husband to admit to it being real. He's never actually talked about this with me. Mokuba had mentioned this once or twice. Since Seto took Atem's death pretty hard. I'm want to understand him better. And I feel like getting to know you and of course becoming close to Mokuba will help me understand Seto better?" She looked into her cup of tea a moment and back up at Yugi who had his arm rested on the back of the booth.

He nodded when she spoke with his signature smile taking over again.

"I can understand that. Kaiba isn't a bad guy. He just holds a lot of pride I think. It was a big shock to find out he was getting married at first," He chuckled, touching the back of his head to feel that his hair gel was still keeping his quaffed locks in place.

"He never opens up and it's extremely hard talking to him about anything. Especially about the past. If I asked him who Atem was he'd just get mad and tell me it's none of my concern," She let a small sigh escape her, sagging in her seat.

"It's how he copes I suppose. From knowing Kaiba throughout the years I'm noticed that he hides his true feelings. And when he does show them, he overdoes it. Like with Atem. When I explained to him that Atem is gone and never coming back he couldn't take that as an answer and practically buried him up from his grave," He explained, picking the last few fries off the plate and ate them.

Cameron fell silent once more, lowering her eyes as she was starting to feel a bit awkward. "Thank you for answering me. I'm sorry to bother you with such odd questions. But I feel like the only person I can talk to this is Mokuba. And I don't want to be constantly bombarding him with my venting," She tapped the glass surface of her cup with the tips of her nails.

"Don't apologize! You can talk to me whenever you want. When your far from home and don't have a good connection with your family your friends become family. I consider Kaiba and his brother part of my family. So that makes you apart of it too Cam."

His tender words humbled Cameron as she smiled sadly and slipped out from the booth and stood, opening her arms as a sign of appreciation towards the eccentric young man. Yugi was taken by surprised at first, not used to this Western costume. He stood up and accepted her embrace as he hugged her back.

"Thank you for being so kind to me," She said gently before slipping away.

"Do not thank me. I enjoy your company. You may not see it. But I think Kaiba lightens up when you're around," He teased her.

She rolled her eyes, digging through her small purse and setting money down on the table for the meal. "If only that were true," she cracked a smile.

"Hey! What are you doing?" His eyes watched her hands.

"The meal is on me. It's a proper way to thank you for lending an ear," She zipped her bag back up and waved him goodbye before walking off.

"Okay, okay! But next time it's on me!" he waved back as she made it closer to the exist. Cameron spun around to look back at him.

"When your game prototype is out let's play it together!" She shouted out as she spun back around and left.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am!~ Hi!~ I actually had this chapter half written for a long time but life got in the way, unfortunately. Believe it or not, the idea for this chapter was inspired by the song "SOLITAIRE" by Marina and the Diamonds. I find playlists when I write and I have a collection of Kaiba playlists (Yeah, I'm that girl. SUE ME!!!) Anyway, I think it fits his character. After having a meltdown I can see how the lyrics fit the anti-hero. And I'm positive Seto likes his own company. As for the rest of the chapter. I didn't realize that Cam's past fits into Mokuba's situation with Hyori. Because Cam's backstory was legit written back in like 2010. So it's perfect to have this character development for her and Mokuba. 
> 
> I also realize that this chapter seems to be more dialog driven. Which, is no surprise to me because like I've stated before. I specialize in scriptwriting. My format of storytelling is very chatty between characters. If you like this good! Enjoy! If you don't, no skin off my nose!

The night quickly arrived with the music from Cameron's original rounded silver stereo echoing through parts of the first floor of the Kaiba manor. Her and Mokuba stood in front of the high tec oven with a large pot of sauce was simmering on the stove top. Cameron stirred the sauce as she Mokuba stood directly across from her by the counter, rolling meatballs and setting them into the frying pan carefully not to splash the hot oil onto his skin.

Each time a song came on Cameron would test Mokuba to see if he knew the singer. Out of the several bands played the only ones he recognized were Green Day and of course Nirvana. Even though Gorillaz wasn't on the playlist he told his sister-in-law it was one of his favorite bands as a kid and owned all of their CDs. And how his brother was impressed by the hologram design of the ficinal band at the time and actually went to a few of their concerts for that reason. These were the moments Cameron enjoyed most. The simple interactions of learning little things about the family she became apart of were important to her.

With no surprise, Mokuba and Cameron started dinner without Seto. The content mood that been playing out this evening was soon strained when it was made clear that the older Kaiba had arrived home as the help greeted him at the door. His words were not clear but his snappy tone was. It wasn't a surprise for the CEO of Kaiba Corp to come home with an attitude after work. By this time the other two had finished dinner and were lounging in the front den with one of the Rush Hour movies playing on the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. Both sat on the floor with a deck of duel monster cards spread out on the coffee table as Mokuba tried to teach Cameron the easy techniques of the game. When the older Kaiba was close enough his brother spoke out to him first.

"Hey! Welcome home bro!" He shouted out to him cheerfully, only to get some sort of mumble in return as Seto headed up the staircase with satchel in hand. He had already taken his blazer off with his suspenders showing over his collar shirt.

Cameron perked up as well, holding the cards loosely in her hand.

"I left a plate of macaroni with sauce covered for you in the oven to keep warm," Cameron spoke out to him only to be ignored as her husband's tall frame disappeared up the stairs. Her eyes dulled at Seto's insufferable demeanor. She looked back down at the deck of cards and set Sonic Duck onto the coffee table.

"What do you think his problem is n--" She stopped her sentence suddenly as a crash was heard from upstairs. Her eyes widened as she turned to face Mokuba who looked as surprised as her.

"Should we go check on him? It sounds like he fell?" She asked with concern.

"Nah, if that was bro falling it'd sound way louder then that. It sounded more like multiple things fell. Maybe one of the help dropped a few things?" He suggested, opening his mouth to add on to his sentence but instead pressing his lips together as the intercom in the living room came on with Seto's monotone voice coming through the speaker.

"Cameron, I'd like to see you in my office please," There was a hint of displeasure clear in his tone before cutting the speaker off.

Cameron's expression dropped with her lips curving into a pouty frown as she slowly looked at Mokuba with side eyes, turning her head slowly to made eye-contact with him.

"Will you come upstairs with me in case things get too heated?" She asked the younger Kaiba calmly. He nodded in response.

"Yeah, of course," He answered her as she tossed her Duel Monster cards onto the coffee table and slowly stood up. Mokuba waited for her to head towards the staircase first before following.

"I feel like a kid going to see their principal," She scoffed quietly as she made it up the steps. A slight half-hearted snicker came from Mokuba as a response, purposely lagging behind.

Cameron made it past her bedroom of the west wing and stopped in the middle of the long hallway where her husband's office was. She looked at her seeing Mokuba standing a couple of feet away, by a nearby decorative vase. He gave her two thumbs up before she knocked on the door.

"It's open," Seto answered disgruntled.

She rolled her eyes at the attitude she knew she was ready to face.

"Hello darling, how was your day?" She asked sickly sweet tone, cracking open the door as she stepped in.

"Save the phoniness," He grumbled behind his desk, hands folded in front of his face with a glare.

Cameron scanned the area of the office as she closed the door behind her. The books and other items Seto had placed on his desk were scattered onto the floor. Including a framed picture of Seto, Mokuba and herself she had given him that was taken on vacation during their honeymoon.

"What happened?" She questioned softly, stepping closer to his desk with her eyes glued to the floor. She bent down to pick up a few books. She stopped once she felt her husband standing in front of her.

"Nevermind that. Leave it there," He told her harshly, snatching the book away from her and plopped it onto the desk. His blazer was draped over the back of his desk chair. 

She quickly pulled her arm away and straightened her back out.

"Seto, is everything alright?"She asked in general concern.

"No! How could you let a request fall through like that!" He finally barked out.

Raising a brow to his outburst Cameron was stumped, taking a moment to recall what he meant.

"Are you referring to the meeting with Yugi today? What the hell are you talking about! I was just told to just observe!" She shouted back at him.

"Yes, if things went smoothly. Why in the world would you let Yugi pick such a stupid game design when he has plenty of others that are more compatible with the Kaiba Corp formatting! Plus, it's not even that interesting!"

"Because I didn't think it was my place to change anything! Yugi said it's not his first game that was approved by the company! Why are you so mad?" She lifted her head a little bit higher with a sharp stare.

"You're supposed to make Kaiba Corp look good Cameron! You're my wife! Do you know how degrading it is to have my wife look like she doesn't know how to persuade a group of dimwits into a higher marketing for a better game design! Why do you think I put you on a board of Westerners? So you'd understand!" He closed his eyes a moment, running a hand through his hair as his head was throbbing from a splitting headache.

"Well if you wanted me to be so involved in the board meeting you should have elaborated in the car instead of making Mokuba explain everything to me instead!" She leaned forward, placing a hand on her hip and cautiously took a step back as she felt her anger flaring up.

Seto let out a snort. "I should have let Mokuba go. At least he's trained enough to know better," He scoffed lowly.

The sudden jab towards her threw Cameron into a tizzy. "Oh give me a damn break Seto! You're probably so pissed because Yugi's game plot is based on the pharaoh. And we all know you have a sick infatuation with the dead kid!" She scoffed back at him, crossing her arms in defense.

His eyes soon showed pure rage, gritting his teeth at the comment. "How dare you! How many times must I say that I only care about the future! I trample on the past! You can not compare me to yourself!" He pointed his finger close to her face only having her slap it away.

"Keep your boney decrepit finger away from me! Why would I compare myself to you? You're just a miserable bastard that has his head so far up his own ass you can't even appreciate what lovely people you have around you!"

"You're weak Cameron! You let your heart control your thoughts! You ran away from your pathetic life in America and you continue to let it dictate you. You let some drunk take advantage of your body and your idiot half-brother brainwash you with ridiculous notions!"

Cameron twitched in anger and without warning, she picked up one of the heavier books from the floor and smacked Seto in the chest with it. Being too engulfed in anger the only reaction he had was to shove his tiny wife away. Due to his strong force, Cameron easily got flung halfway across the room with a loud shrill, dropping the book in the process.

"I'm fucking sick of your pompous attitude when you act like some uncouth--what's that term you Americans use? W-white trash?" He raised a brow, taking notice of her hand feeling around for the book. She was keeping direct eye-contact at Seto with the glare.

The door to the office flung open with Mokuba stepping in with a frightened look on his face. His eyes dashed over to Cameron first seeing her ready to throw the book at the older Kaiba he quickly sprung towards her and knelt down to stop her in action but failed as Cameron was quick enough to toss the hardcover book straight at her husband before Mokuba took hold her hand that was in the air. Seto blinked, dodging the object letting it fly past him and into the shelf he had behind past his desk.

"Ah, how nice of you to make it Mokuba. Eavesdropping I see?" He crossed his arms, stepping over the mess on the floor.

Mokuba struggled with Cameron a moment, whispering something to her gently causing her to calm down before he released a hold on her. He looked back up at his brother.

"I heard Cam scream. You expect me not to come in?" He frowned deeply, slowly standing up and giving his sister-in-law a hand to help her back on her feet.

"Give me a break Mokuba. You wouldn't be able to hear her from downstairs. Or even your side on the east wing," Seto took a step closer to his desk and propped his hand on the edge of it giving his brother intimidating eyes.

"Don't get mad at Mokuba. I asked him to come up with me. You know it yourself, Seto. We have vicious fights," Cameron spoke before the younger Kaiba could pipe up with an excuse.

"Aw, how cute. You wanted back up for when you had your temper tantrum?" He scoffed.

"No! That's not the case at all! You kno--" Mokuba bit the bottom of his lip when he was interrupted by his brother.

"Enough! Stop talking!" Seto barked, closing his eyes tightly again before reopening them slowly.

"Since you're so eager to be apart of the discussion. Why don't we address the issue we have with you and Miss.Reader, Mokuba?" Seto tilted his head slightly as he spoke.

"What issue are you talking about bro? Are you referring to stupid articles from gossip magazines?" Mokuba asked, keeping a cool exterior to hide the panic he actually felt which was no match for Seto as he knew his younger brother's behavior and could see right through it.

"Don't play dumb now. I know you've been having romantic relations with Miss.Reader. And you know I don't allow intimate relationships to occur at my company. Especially with another manager that we're collaborating business with. It's very unprofessional! Have you lost all common sense? You know not to mix work with play!"

"Seto, please! Whatever you've heard it's being blown out of proportion! You have to understand that nothing serious is going on an--"

"Don't you dare lie to me Mokuba! I've very disappointed in you. Letting some woman take away the concentration you should be having on work! I am going to have to terminate her if this continues," Seto coolly said, knowing damn well he'd get the reaction he wanted.

Guilt struck Mokuba right when he heard the word 'disappointed.' He didn't like letting his older brother down. Even more so for the fact that he was the only person Seto could count on with no doubts. It was evident now how the younger Kaiba felt as he bowed his head a bit. Not only feeling shame for his brother but also fear for Hyori losing her job because of him. It wasn't a rumor that Seto was cut-throat. He did really fire people as fast as he hired them.

"You can't do that Seto. Neither of them did anything wrong. They didn't start any scandals," Cameron finally piped up after staying silent this whole time by Mokuba's side.

"Yes, I can. It's my policy. There's no room for horseplay in my company. Having Charisma Complex collaborate with Kaiba Corp is a privilege. I can break that deal whenever I want. Ji-Hun is a joke I'd have no love loss for him."

"Don't fire Hyori. I'll stop seeing her," Mokuba perked his head up to look back at his brother who seemed to be satisfied. It was pointless at this time to try to hide the fact now. Even if it was true that there were no intimate relations between the two Seto would never believe and fire her nonetheless.

Cameron looked up at Mokuba with empathy, reaching over to give him a loving pat on the back as a sign of security.

"Very well then. I'll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you keep your word. You're dismissed. I'm done with both of you for tonight," He waved them off, turning his back to them and started picking up the items he had thrown on the floor earlier that night.

Mokuba glanced down at Cameron, turning to walk out as she followed behind him and shut the door to the office with a bang.

"Your brother's an asshole!" She shouted out purposely.

\--

The two walked in silence. Mokuba's face still clearly pained as Cameron walked beside him, reaching over to give her brother-in-law a comforting rub on his back.

"Are you actually going to break it off with Hyori?" She asked, softly as she walked behind him down the stairs.

There was a long pause as Mokuba's gears were turning.

"I'm not sure yet," He finally answered, hopping off the last step of the stair and turned on his heel to wait for Cameron as he untied his ponytail, letting his thick hair free to fall over his shoulders.

"I know you want to keep Seto happy but you also have to remember that this is your life too. And you're not wrong for having feelings for Hyori. He's your brother but you also have a choice of what you want in the end. You're not a little boy anymore. You're free to do as you wish," Cameron stood in front of Mokuba with saddened eyes. Just like Seto his tall structure towered over her. But unlike his brother Mokuba was less slender and more stocky. He had broader shoulders and a bulkier build.

Mokuba let out a silent sigh, sagging his shoulders and tucked his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

"I know Cam, I just want to make the right choice. This is Seto's business. He sacrificed everything to make Kaiba Corp great. I'm really proud to have him as my brother. I don't want to disappoint him."

Cameron nodded her head as she listened to Mokuba speak. She felt for him on a personal level dealing with similar feelings back home. And also connecting with the younger Kaiba with a motherly instinct.

"Well, he needs to get a grip if a silly thing as dating is going to give him an aneurysm," She sneered sarcastically before opening her arms wide to Mokuba.

"Come give me a cuddle," She smiled slightly as his tall frame took a step closer and accepted her embrace. He wrapped her arms around her waist as he squeezed, arching his back to rest his face into Cameron's neck.

The short brunette patted Mokuba's upper back, rubbing his shoulders.

"God, you're so solid. You're like hugging a big ham," Cameron laughed softly with the younger Kaiba joining in as he slipped away from her grasp.

\--

After the warm moment, the two headed towards the smaller game room. For once, Mokuba wasn't as sociable. Cameron knew he had been hit with a heavy load from Seto. The issue with Hyori was a big deal to the younger Kaiba. And it wasn't his sister-in-law's place to pry any longer. So she kept quiet, only keeping silent company to him. Their Rush Hour movie marathon continued. Soon the TV only becoming background noise for the both of them. Mokuba became more involved with his phone. No doubt that constant typing away was with Miss.Charisma Complex herself, Hyori. As Cameron became comfortable on the couch next to Mokuba, snug into the corner of the cushions and wrapped in a blanket. He had his arm stretched out on top of the back of the couch cushions and sock covered feet rested on the edge of the coffee table as his fingers clicked away at his touchscreen.

There was a sense of comfort between them. Cameron enjoyed it because it reminded her of the family structure she was familiar with back home. While this kind of homey setting was all Mokuba ever wanted to experience in his life. The small brunette soon fell into a light sleep almost having the low volume of the TV become a lull to her only to be woken up a few minutes later to a vision of the two Kaibas hugging close in an embrace when her eyes had opened suddenly. Seto was standing in front of the couch, back arched as he held his brother close to him.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh. But I know you'll make the right decision," He spoke to Mokuba firmly but calm before patting his younger brother's head before slipping away and standing back up straight.

Mokuba nodded to Seto, the phone is already hidden in his pants pocket. "Yeah, I know bro. I wouldn't make any rash decisions to deface the image of our company," It was evident in the younger Kaiba's voice that he was defeated by the circumstance.

Seto gave a genuine smile looking down at his younger brother, an expression Cameron was not custom to as she has yet to receive such a look from him.

"I am very proud of you Mokuba. Thank you," He lowered his hand down again to ruffle the younger man's hair up in a playful manner as he quickly turned to glance over at his wife who had been observing them interact.

'Oh, you're up," Seto's face soon turned back to neutral, bending back down to give Cameron a hug as well. Her lips stretched into a scowl, pushing her palms against his chest to stop him.

"I don't want affection from you!" She hissed at him in disgust as he slowly stood back up unimpressed by her reaction.

"I'm not your baby brother. I'm not going to forgive so easily when you acted like a complete jackass," She glared up at him, fixing her blanket as she turned the front part back over her torso.

"Cameron, can't you just shut up and take my apology for once?" Seto sneered at her, eyes narrowing down at her.

"No! It's bullshit how you treat Mokuba! You're not being considerate of his feeling at all! You're only thinking of yourself!" She shouted back, folding her arms under her cover.

Hearing that the argument was turning back to the Hyori issue Mokuba immediately got up from the couch and excused himself as he was finished being the mediator for the couple tonight. Especially since it was a topic he'd rather avoid.

"Look, I'm tired guys. And I still have some paperwork to look at. I'll see you guys later," He said, only to be ignored as the confrontation was escalating. Mokuba took no time with leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"That's none of your concern Cameron! You're not his mother and you're just a nurse! What do you know about running a company!" He barked at her, keeping a prideful stance despite the fact that he was dressed down for the night seeing that he was in his more comfortable lounge clothes. His hair was also damp which meant he must have showered not too long ago.

"Okay, so I'm not a CEO. And I'm the closest thing to a mother the poor kid has! Can't you see how terrible our relationship is that not everything in life has to be controlled by obsessive hardship? Mokuba has to have a life too. The business is a priority but he needs to be able to grow outside of this. Do you want your brother to be in an unhappy marriage like you?" She wiggled into the cushions to sit up straight, keeping a strong stare on him.

"I see you're comparing my brother to yourself. Which is foolish considering that he's not stupid. My brother knows better than to let himself get hurt in such a nonsensical way. Kaiba Corp is our livelihood. It comes before any woman ever got in the way. And as for our marriage. I didn't think it was unhappy until you started mouthing off so Goddamn much," He raised his arm up in the air as he continued his uppity tone.

By this time Cameron stayed stiff as a board, leg crossed over her knee as she shook her foot in a nervous tic.

"You're a miserable man Seto. And you want to drag your brother with you and it's sick," She barked back, finally getting up and throwing the blanket over the couch.

"The only thing that's sick is you comparing your past situations with his. And honestly, you're the last person who gives anybody love advice considering the outcome you've gotten," Seto scoffed with a cocky laugh.

Cameron felt the goosebumps appearing on her arms as her body stiffened, anger ready to erupts. She slowly turned to face her husband with darkened eyes and stretched her arm up so high to have her fist meet his jaw as she socked him in the mouth. It caught Seto by surprise not expecting it at all as his taller frame stumbled back, holding his face. There was pure rage in her eyes now. Taking no time to leave the room. She turned her back to her husband as she didn't give him enough time to retaliate.

The small Brunette made her away into the hallway, storming past a couple of the maids that were still on duty having her bump into one of the younger ones. Being so distraught Cameron didn't excuse herself. Her dreary demeanor was no shock to the help at this point as the couple's disputes were often enough to be expected. Though, it still didn't stop them from halting to a stop just to gawk at the young woman crumbling into tears as she charged out the front door of the manor and slammed it shut.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this. The first part has no dialog (Not on purpose may I add) Because I know I mentioned how my last chapter was mostly dialog. I enjoyed writing this so much! I love writing with a lot of characters with a lot of actions going on. If I had to title this chapter it'd be "21 questions" because most of what is said are questions and answers. Omfg. My original plan when starting this Kaiba/Cam fic wasn't to even have so many cameos from the Yugioh plot. Can you tell that I really like Marik Ishtar? When I was little I actually liked him more than Kaiba! I had Cam paired up with Kaiba (Duh) But I had my character Roxy paired up with Marik. I'm not sure if I'm going to mention that plot point in this fic. Because I don't want things to be too cluttered ya' know? 
> 
> I also got A LOT of inspiration from this fantastic comic. http://millenniumroommates.tumblr.com/ <\-- the artist literally updates every 3 years but I still love their art and plot.

Cameron could feel her body trembling lightly. Her small figure almost lost on the large porch as she hid her face in her palms. Her back was arched a bit, helping her hide within herself. She could feel her hands becoming wet from her tears. After a long inhale of cold night air she uncovered her face to have the porch light cast over her. She looked around letting reality sink in again. Struck with panic she felt around for her phone first, finding it in her comfy hoodie pocket. The short brunette looked down at her feet that were still covered in pink bunny slippers. Feeling too self conscious to head back inside not wanting to face her husband but also the maids who have seen her ridiculous displace Cameron wasn't sure what she should do. It was certain she didn't want to stay here. At least at this moment. Mokuba was not an option for comfort tonight. It up to the American to find her own way out of her sorrows.

It only took Cameron a minute or two to resort to her phone. By this time she had walked off the porch and more into the front lawn right by the massive driveway. She squinted at her screen, scrolling through company contacts. She choice a limousine service that was only dedicated to Kaiba Corp use. She requested a chauffeur and told the driver to bring her to the nearest train station. Opting for that choice was to keep her whereabouts hidden from Seto as she knew that he would follow her tracks easier if she only used the limousine.

The driver was what you would expect. A quiet polite middle-aged Japanese man. Taking notice of Mrs.Kaiba's untidy appearance and defensive body language the chauffeur could venture a guess that the woman had no interest in small talk. Once the limousine stopped in front of the train station Cameron waved the driver off as she stepped out herself before he could open the back door. She thanked the man as she said goodbye. As the vehicle drove off Cameron started feeling insecure about her appearance, fixing the back of her hoodie and zipped it up as she slipped her hood over her head as a weak attempt to hide her identity.

She had already made the decision to pay Yugi a visit. He had mentioned the address to his apartment during the time they had spent together during the lunch they had that day. And how it was a great distance for him because it was only a few miles away from the Kaiba Corp building he was assigned to. After buying a ticket using the credit card option her husband set up on her phone for her Cameron headed to the small shopping center of the station. Finding a pair of chintzy pair of flats to substitute the bunny slippers along with a rather cheesy looking baseball cap that had the magical hats question mark logo and checkered print across the front.

After putting on the flimsy shoes and putting the slippers in the plastic convince bag she started walking to the train depot as she tucked her long hair into the cap and pulled it over her head. It's been a couple of years since Cameron had taken the train. Being married to Seto had spoiled her as she was so used to being toted around everywhere. A small cute Volkswagen car was gifted to her from the Kaiba brothers when she first joined the family though she only drove it once or twice. As she didn't have an official licence. Mokuba had taught her some pointers on driving in this country but not enough for her to feel comfortable. According to her husband driving lessons should come second. As the company business was more important to learn first.

After boarding the train it didn't take long for her destination to come. It was only a half an hour away by train. The messy appearance of brunette must have helped her disguise as she had not been approached or stared at by the public. The majority of the ride her eyes were glued to the screen of her phone. Waiting for the dreaded 'Where are you?' text from her husband. That luckily did not come. At least not yet.

She hopped off the train with her convince bag swinging in her hand. Using google maps provided by her phone she followed the directions according to the screen. Cameron slowed her pace once it became clear that the apartment building she was searching for had popped up. A sudden sense of worry overcame the short woman as she didn't realize how large the apartment building actually was. It was an older building. Not completely run down but judging by looks alone it must have been a cheap rent. And according to Seto who had claimed Yugi was still considered an intern to Kaiba Corp Cameron could understand the modest living arrangements.

Not knowing completely but she should do Cameron approached the only sign of life that was in the apartment. A garage door was opened with a bright light gleaming from the boxy opening. Along with the rest of the apartment, the garage itself looked a bit shotley made. It was one of those made shift garages that you bought from a hardware store and constructed yourself. With hesitation, the brave brunette walked onto the property with light footsteps on the dead grass and headed straight for the opening where the light was still visible.

"Um, hello?"

She called out sweetly, tucking a piece of her long hair back behind her ear that had escaped the baseball cap. Her body tilted sideways and neck stretched to take a good look inside the garage without getting too close. A broad-shouldered muscular back of a man crouched down was the view that Cameron was greeted with. It seemed to be a younger man. Possibly in his 20s and skin was the same tan shade as the American woman. The back of his head was platinum blonde, shoulder length as it covered only the tops of his shoulders. His whole back was covered in some sort of hieroglyphics in light colored ink. He was fiddling with a motorcycle in front of him. A racer jacket tied around his waist with a red tool box by his feet and wrench in hand. The source of light was finally discovered as it was coming from a large LED lamp hanging from the low ceiling of the garage. Arctic Monkey was also playing lowly in the background. It sounded like the AM album.

"What?" The blond perked his head up in surprise, staying crotched and turning slightly to look over at Cameron in surprise. His eyes were a strange shade of blue. And he wore eyeliner, his appearance didn't seem Oriental at all. He had very beautiful pigment for a man.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you. But I'm afraid I'm a bit lost. I wanted to ask you if you know what apartment is Yugi Mutou's?" She stepped back once the man turned and stood up straight. His body was well built with a six-pack. And rips going down his jeans.

"Yeah, he's my roommate," He answered with a half smirk with a hint of a cocky tone in his voice.

"Really? Is he home?" Cameron's eyes widened in honest surprise not even thinking of Yugi having a roommate.

"I don't know. I think he's still out getting food," He rubbed the back of his neck and walked forward, closer to the short brunette. It caused her to step back, keeping eyes on him.

"I'm sorry! I can go, I don't want to be a bother," She smiled sheepishly at the blond as he turned off his music and light off in the garage.

"No, it's cool. I'll ask if he's back. Follow me," He told her calmly as he walked ahead of her towards one of the doors on the bottom floor of the apartment complex. Cameron quietly followed behind. She stopped in her tracks as she made it to the main hallway of the small flat and stood close by the door as the man looked over his shoulder to glance back.

"Stay, here. I'll be back," He said, striding up a short set of stairs. His bulky stature headed for the first door straight ahead. He knocked on the door first before cracking it open.

"Hey Ryou, did Yugi come home?" He asked, opening the door wider and leaned his back onto the door frame to look over at his scrawnier looking friend. He had long white hair, down to the middle of his back tied in a ponytail and wearing a long baggy blue striped t-shirt. He was slouched in front of a desk clicking away with a mouse in hand as he scrolled through a page of text on his desktop screen.

"Hm?" Ryou blinked, glancing over at his roommate as he slipped his big black clunky headphones off his ears.

"I'm sorry Malik, I didn't hear you. What was that?" He asked in a gentle tone.

With crossed arms, Malik rolled his eyes. "There's a girl downstairs asking for Yugi. Is he home?"

"A girl? Is it Anzu?" Ryou blinked in surprise, setting his headphones down on his clutter desk.

"If it was Anzu wouldn't I say it?" He straightened his back once Ryou stood up from his office chair.

"Who is she? Do you know her?" He scooted close and stood in the doorway, sideways next to Malik as he peeked out the threshold and down the staircase trying to get a glimpse but failing.

"How should I know? She's wearing a dumb Duel Monster hat," He stepped out of the doorway to give his friend more room.

"Maybe she works with Yugi. You don't think he's cheating do you?" Ryou frowned, looking up at Malik worrisome. He only received a genuine chuckle from the blond.

"Don't laugh! Affairs of the heart are serious business!" Ryou flustered his brows, keeping his voice hushed so Cameron didn't hear him.

"Yeah, okay Ryou. Yugi the real Casanova that he is. Is going to get himself a side chick while he has his girl's picture on his phone and in his wallet. That's definitely going to score him some ladies," Another chuckle escaped Malik as he watched Ryou tiptoe down the steps.

"People get tempted! Don't make fun of me!" He whispered with a quick glare at the man behind him and turned straight to face Cameron who was still by the door with her phone in her hands.

"Hello! Malik said you were looking for Yugi. He's not home yet I'm afraid. Was he expecting you over?" He asked sweetly to the brunette with a smile.

Cameron looked up at Ryou standing in front of the staircase with Malik behind him, jacket in hands as he pulled it on over his torso and pushed his roommate gently out of the way and turned towards what seemed to be a common room.

"He better come back soon. I'm starving," Malik grumbled.

Cameron watched the blond a moment before looking back at Ryou.

"No, it's actually quite embarrassing why I'm here. I don't have any family in Japan and Yugi is my only other resort at the moment," Her eyes looked downward in shame, lowering her arms down feeling uneased that she hasn't received any contact from Seto yet. The similar udjat eye tattoo on long-haired man's wrist caught Cameron's attention when she lifted her arm back up.

"Do you happen to be Ryou? Yugi's friend?" She asked, curiously.

"Yes, I am. And as I mentioned before the polite gentleman you just met is Malik," Ryou's sarcasm clearly went over his friend's head as he stretched his arm out to the same doorway Malik entered earlier.

"Would you like to take a seat? Relax a bit while you wait for Yugi. Erm--Miss?" He tilted his head keeping his gentle smile.

"I'm Cam. I'm sorry. I didn't even introduce myself," She offered her hand to Ryou who gladly accepted her gesture and gave a firm shake.

"That's quite alright Cam! If you had a rough trip than I can understand your absent-mindedness," He said, leading her into the living room that was attached to a small kitchen and dining area. Malik was laying on the couch, legs stretched out taking up most of the room with his smartphone in hand and tapping away.

"Just texted Yugi. He said he'll be back in five," Malik glanced up at Cameron as she walked by, she had taken off the cap and let her hair fall free back onto her shoulders.

"That's good. Did you tell him that he has company waiting for him?" Ryou asked, walking into the kitchen.

"No, but he said he got Chinese," Malik answered, making eye contact with Cameron when she said down on the loveseat across from him. She awkwardly looked away, setting the cap down on the coffee table and sat criss-cross as the other roommate tried to figure her out.

Ryou went silent a moment as he scurried around in the cabinets. "Cam, would you like tea? Water? Anything to drink?" He asked, turning to look over at her.

"Oh, no thank you Ryou! I'm fine thanks!" She answered pleasantly, tucking her hand into her pocket to pull her phone out of her hoodie and looked over her messages again. Still no sign of Seto.

\--

It took Yugi more like ten minutes to arrive home but nobody was complaining at this point. He opened the front door, pushing his bicycle into the doorway with two plastic convince bags tied tightly to the handlebars and a ring of keys wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet along with a little kuriboh keychain dangling from it.

"I'm home!" He huffed, out of breath from the hurrying of coming home. He pulled the kickstand to his bike down to park it by the door and untied the bags of food. He slowed his pace once he saw Cameron sitting on the loveseat. Malik was still in the same spot with Ryou now next to him who had made him move his feet off the couch so he could have enough room to lounge as well. Tea had made even after the offer being declined. Two cups were set ontop of the coffee table along with a bowl filled with whatever bag of potato chips that were found in the bare cabinets. Malik passed on the tea but ate most of the snack as he complained of being hungry.

"Cam, when did you get here? Is everything alright?" He asked in concern, setting the bags on the countertop.

"Um, yeah. I just needed time to myself is all," She gave a coy smile, picking up her tea and sipping it.

"I already offer her my bed in case she wants to stay," Ryou said, standing as the bags were set down. He walked back into the kitchen to organize the containers of food. Malik was hot on his trail, plucking the box that was marked 'vegetable' on the top.

"Stay over? Did you and Kaiba have a fight?" He frowned, pulling the keys off his wrist and onto the counter as well and walked into the living room.

"The short answer would be yes," She answered honestly, feeling unnerved as her phone was now dead and had no way of charging it due to the Kaiba Corp model phones not being compatible with other standard smartphone wires.

"Hold on a minute? Kaiba?" Malik smirked from the kitchen, holding a dish with a pile of steamed vegetables, tofu, and rice.

Ryou didn't interject, curious as well. Watching on in slight amusement to the gossip unfolding in front of him. As he ate a mouthful of happosai.

"I knew when you took the hat off you looked familiar. Kaiba is your boyfriend isn't he?" Malik pointed to her, setting his plate down next to Ryou's as he walked to the fridge to grab a drink.

"Not my boyfriend. He's my husband," She told them, watching Yugi as he made his way back to the kitchen to unpack his own dinner.

"Husband? That's right. Kaiba got married earlier in the year didn't he," Ryou wiped his mouth with a napkin and picked up his plate along with Malik's and headed back into the living room to keep Cameron company.

Malik shrugged, twisting open a beer and plopped back down next to Ryou on the couch.

"I don't take notice of what famous people do. Especially a snob like Kaiba," Malik said, taking a sip from his bottle and placing next to the dish.

"Well, I only remember because Yugi was in American at the time and couldn't attend the wedding," He crossed a leg and took a sip of his now cold tea.

"I didn't want so much publicity on our wedding. I would prefer to live a tame life. And Seto respects that I don't like the press nosing in our marriage," She looked up at Yugi when he appeared in front of her with a dish of curry.

"I ate dinner already with Mokuba. It's very sweet of you to share your dinner with me. But, no thank you," Cameron shook her head putting her hands up in defeat of the offer.

"Isn't that sort of hard to keep a private life when you're married to Seto Kaiba? He's pretty flashy from what I recall," Ryou added, pushing his plate aside with a good amount of food left over with his chopsticks laying over it.

"Not really. He's really only like that with his games and tournaments. Kaiba I think purposely makes his personal life private from magazines if you've noticed," Yugi joined in on the topic finally as he took a seat next to Cameron on the loveseat and held his carry in his lap as he ate.

"I suppose that's true. I never really read Star magazines either so that can be true," Ryou leaned into the couch, relaxing his back.

"He's also a cocky bastard. He really has no charm with the ladies. What did you see in him, Cam?" Malik had also finished his meal, placing his empty plate on top of Ryou's to make more room on the table.

Cameron decided to bite her tongue and not try to defend Seto this time as it has been already a bad night and his cocky attitude is the reason why she stormed tonight.

"It was arranged actually," She glanced down, twisting her finger around a strand of her hair.

"Arranged? They still do that sort of thing in Japan and America? Wow, I thought that third world tradition was only active where I come from," Malik raised a brow in disbelief as he took one last slug of his beer and set it down.

"Why, where do you come from?" Cameron asked, scooting closer to the edge of the couch after brushing elbows with Yugi a couple times.

"Cairo, Egypt. I hated it there and decided to take the chance and moved with these guys," Malik teasingly wrapped an arm around Ryou's shoulder and aggressively pinched at his cheeks. Ryou grinned, letting a laugh out and slapped Malik on the arms before the blond released him.

"Is that why you left Cairo then? Because you had an arranged marriage?" Cameron's interest was peaked. She knew from Malik's looks that he wasn't Japanese but she didn't ever consider that he was Egyptian as she thought his back tattoos were just for style.

"No, I was a tomb keeper waiting for the pharaoh to return. Long story short he did return. But he always went back. My sister and brother still continue to live in Cairo. I choose not too because there's no reason for me there. Ryou called me one day. Asked me if I wanted to split rent with him and Yugi. I said yes. So far it's been okay," He gave a bit of a half smile, tiredness showed in his eyes.

Cameron nodded, getting an unsettling feeling after the pharaoh being mentioned again. This figment of a man was not only a topic in her own relationship with her husband but it seemed to be a running theme with this group too.

"Is that the same Pharaoh that was Yugi's alter?" Cameron asked, glancing over at the gentle rebel next to her.

"Mhm, yeah. Malik went through similar hardships like me and Ryou did," Yugi gestured to his pale friend across from him.

"Hence the tattoos right? I remember you told me you had matching tattoos because of millennial items--"

"It's millennium items," Malik corrected her dryly.

Ryou smiled, staying a bit stiff knowing that Malik wasn't a fan of discussing the past with the pharaoh, items or any of the spirits that came with it as he was the only one out of the three of the young men who still struggled to keep his inner dark self at bay.

"You see Cam, at one point in time we all had ownership of the millennium items. And each of them held a spirit from the past. Yugi was lucky enough to have Atem who was harmless. As me and Malik didn't," Ryou tried to explain as discreetly as possible not to delve too deeply into the topic.

"In other words. We're all a little fucked up from the whole process. Except for maybe Yugi who thought the pharaoh was some type of God," Malik scoffed, getting up from the couch and back to the kitchen to pull out two bottles of beer.

"Hey now! I wouldn't say I thought he was a God. Atem was my friend. And he gave me guidance!" Yugi piped up in defense only to be shot down.

"And helped you win all your battles for you too," Malik spat, words came out slick as black ice. He held a bottle of beer out for Cameron to grab.

"I think Yugi is a spot on duelist," Ryou tried to defend.

"Like you have room to talk Ryou," Malik chuckled softly, twisting the cap off Cameron's bottle after seeing her struggle a moment.

"Um, Cam. Do you think it's a good idea to start drinking now? Especially since you don't seem like you're in the right frame of mind?" Yugi turned to the small brunette with a concerned smile.

"She's a grown woman Yugi. Drink up, girl! Cheers to a terrible arranged marriage!" Malik grinned, clanking bottles with her as he took a long sip of beer with Cameron joining in but only taking a modest sip.

"Malik, can you please moderate your drinking for tonight? Cam is our guest. Please act responsibly," Ryou's words only fell on deaf ears as Malik took a seat on the arm of the loveseat and dragged both Cameron and Yugi into a hug.

Yugi looked up at Ryou with wide eyes. "He was drinking before this wasn't he?" He asked quietly, almost mouthing the words. Getting a nod in response from his pale roommate.


	20. Chapter 20

It was going on two hours since Cameron had been accepted into the circle friends. The lights were now off on the first floor of the apartment with the coffee table moved out of the way and crammed in the corner of the wall to leave space in the living room for Ryou's Ouija board to be laid out. It wasn't one of those manufactured boards. This platform looked like an antique. Malik had explained that his nerdy roommate was very much into the occult which frightened Cameron even more so after hearing about the horror stories of how his Millennium spirit was evil.

A couple of plain white candles were lit around them, far away enough so nobody knocked into one. Without Ryou's permission, his wine bottle was cracked open and distributed generously amongst the four of them. Malik was seated next to Cameron on the floor who had loosened up from the amount of alcohol he had consumed during the night. He nabbed the cheesy convenience store hat and was wearing it backward along with back to being topless, lending his jacket to Ryou who was now wearing it as he was proceeding to stay in character for the seance. He was sitting to the left of Cameron as Yugi was sitting in front of Malik with the four of them holding hands.

Yugi was designated to keep hold of the meter in his lap that was normally used during seances and ghost hunts Ryou performed. Malik volunteered on saying an opening prayer in Arabic as Cameron had passed up the offer as the guest. After that was finished everybody opened their eyes. Ryou was the first one to break hands and placed his palms on the wooden oracle. Without being asked Malik placed his hands on the other edge of the oracle. Yugi and Cameron were the only nervous ones. The gentle rebel had performed many seances with his friends before but the act of it still unnerved him.

"Is everybody ready?" Ryou perked his head, glancing up at the two doubtful ones.

"Uh, yeah!" Yugi nodded, hastily placing his hands over his friends.

Cameron stayed stiff, holding onto her empty wine glass with a frown and stared down at the board.

"Come on Cam! Stop being such a girl!" Malik squawked in her ear.

"No! I'm scared! What if we summon thief Bakura or something!" She whined softly, getting her wineglass snatched out of her hands and forcibly shoved onto the oracle with the rest.

"Who cares! What is he gonna do? Call us bunch of assholes and hang up?" Malik rolled his eyes, placing his hands on Cameron's so she couldn't pull away.

"He probably would do that too," Ryou cracked a smile at the accurate interpretation of his former altar.

"Come on Cam ask the board a question!" Malik shouted, nudging his shoulder to her playfully.

"I don't want too!" She whined again.

"Just do it cry, baby!" His words slurred slightly as he pushed himself closer to her, making Cameron's small frame lean to the side.

"Um! What's your favorite color?--"

"That's dumb! Hey, spirit! Were you a slut in your past life!" Malik blurted out.

Yugi's eyes dropped at the outburst. "Asking that, we'll mostly get haunted now," He mumbled unimpressed.

Ryou didn't intrude on the banter, trying to keep a calm demeanor not to disturb the seance. A moment of silence passed as the Oracle started shifting around on the board with their hands following along with it. Before a clear word was formed a forceful banging was heard from afar causing something in the distance from another room to fall and shatter. Cameron was the first one to react. With a shrill scream escaping her mouth as she shoved herself away and scooted backward towards the loveseat. The only other one to react in such a way was Yugi who jumped back and screamed just as loud and high pitched as the brunette's cry.

"I told you we'd upset something!" Cameron crawled behind Malik, grabbing onto the back of his strong shoulders for support.

The banging continued having the group sit there in silence not certain what to do next. Ryou's eyes scanned over to the meter that was still by Yugi.

"The noise isn't from the board. The needle of the meter isn't moving. Don't panic it's from the living," He informed them cooley, looking up towards the doorway.

Yugi had a hand placed on his chest, finally calming from the sudden fright. "Then it's just somebody at the door?" He sighed in relief and looked around for somebody who was willing to go with him.

Malik was the first one to stand, leaving Cameron curled up on the loveseat. Still shaken up by the occurrence.

"I guess I'll go too," He grumbled in annoyance, slouching his stance as he followed behind Yugi towards the front door. He kept a few feet away behind the shorter male as Yugi slowly answered the door.

"Hello?" He squeaked out and slowly blinked, lifting his head with his eyes meeting up with intense dark blue eyes that.

"Oh, hi Kaiba! Cam is--" Without a word in edgewise Yugi was aggressively shoved aside as Seto pushing the door open all the way and let himself in.

Malik was still in the doorway that leads into the living area. His arms were crossed against his chest, playing with one of his gold rings on his finger.

"Hey, Ry! It might not have been a spirit but we summoned something!" He called out sarcastically, lips quickly forming into a scowl as Seto approached him.

"Can I help you with something?" He cocked his head, squinting up at Seto in defense.

Being unmoved by Malik's pathetic attempt to size him up Seto cast his cold stare down at him.

"I'm not interested in having small talk with you. I'm just here to bring my wife home," He scoffed at the blond and peered behind his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Cameron in the living room with Ryou. The lights were turned back on and candles blown out.

"You're busting into my flat without warning to kidnap your wife who doesn't even love you. Who wants to have small talk with you?" Malik cackled, adjusting his cap and pulled it off to toss it aside.

Seto kept his temper controled. Knowing that immature tanned punk wanted him to make the hit. Which wasn't the CEO's intentions. He made long eye contact with Malik again. Scowl tightening on his face. Yugi was still present in the background waiting cautiously.

Seto lifted his head up again, looking past Malik once more as he locked eyes with his wife from afar. "Cameron," He hissed.

"Come here this instant," Seto commanded her darkly. He kept the pitch of his voice calm but stern. Showing his authority.

"Kaiba, I hope you understand that we were only looking out for Cam's wellbeing. Please don't be mad at her," Yugi stepped in, placing a hand on the back of Seto's upper arm as a sign of peace.

The tall brunette didn't react to his friend's touch. He kept his immovable stance. "Shut up Yugi," He sneered at him.

Cameron's face showed fear, eyes uncertain as she couldn't look away from her husband. She knew he was testing her loyalty. She didn't want to leave. Not only because she didn't want to face the uncomfortable aura with Seto at home but she had also felt great ease staying in the apartment. Being accepted by men even before Yugi had explained who she was to them.

Ryou only observed, watching Cameron with soft eyes pitying her distressed state. Seeing that the tension wasn't lightening up at all he decided to speak up politely.

"I already invited Cam to stay over if she wanted. So she can relax. I hope you don't mind?" Ryou slowly turned his face to look over at Seto with a smile. Keeping cool to defuse the situation. Seto didn't bother making eye contact with Ryou, having absolutely no interest in him.

"Is that what you want?" He asked Cameron gruffly.

There was a hesitation from his wife. "I don't know," She whimpered.

Malik stayed by the threshold that leads into the living room, leaned against the doorframe not to be moved by Seto's intense presence. Yugi who always wanted keep the peace stayed by Seto's side and stepped forward to get a chance to look at his former rival.

"We don't mind if she stays. We'll make sure Cam gets home safe," Yugi tried to persuade him.

Seto found their reassuring comments as patronizing. Acting as if his wife were some sort of wounded lamb and he was a vicious lion.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Seto smirked.

"No? What do you mean?" Yugi frowned at the comeback.

"What do you take me for? Do you think my wife is a fragile rabbit? Where's the fire you had before you stormed out of my house Cameron? You play the pathetic little woman role in front of your friends very well don't you? I've had enough of your act. It seems that you've gotten enough of the attention you were seeking for tonight. Let's go home," Before swiftly turning around he gave Malik a glare and turned his focus back on Yugi.

"And you. Mokuba texted you about three times. Don't you ever answer your phone?" He asked in disgust, heading to the front door.

Yugi stood in confusion. "Sorry, I had my phone off during the seance."

The answer wasn't even needed since Seto had already left. The roommates were expecting more chaos from the couple. But was surprised when Cameron suddenly started walking out of the living room and past Malik.

"I'm sorry about this guys. Thank you for being so kind to me. But, I should go. I hope you see you soon?" She stopped at the door and looked at them with a forced smile.

"This is quite the surprise. Are you sure? I mean--you can do as you wish. Please leave on your accord," Ryou walked to the threshold in suspicion in her sudden decision.

"I am, don't worry. Seto is right. He's right. I'm not weak and I am a fierce fighter," She kept the smile, looking down at her cheap shoes that already had a tiny hole in one from walking a distance in them.

Yugi scrolled through his messages Seto had mentioned. "Yeah, Mokuba had texted me earlier. I didn't even see. Both of them seemed pretty worried. Asking if I knew where you were," He hugged her when the brunette leaned in to embrace the short male.

He hugged back, patting her back with his phone still in his hand. "You're still welcome here whenever you want. You're good company!" He slipped away as Cameron went around and hugged Ryou and Malik as well.

"Thank you so again, guys. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again," She bowed slightly to them, heading back towards the door. Yugi followed her and opened the door for her to step outside. One of Seto's expensive silver cars was parked in front of the apartment complex. Yugi stayed in the doorway, watching Cameron head off towards her husband. He waved once she was inside. He closed the door and closed it softly letting out a silent sigh. All three men stood in the hallway awkwardly trying to soak up the situation and what the hell that had just happened.

"That was, interesting," Ryou broke their silence.

"I can't tell if she's a dumb woman or not," Malik chimed in, scratching the back of his head and lazily walked back upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As bad as I wanted to make Seto fight Marik Ishtar. I did not because I don't think it suits his character. I feel like Seto has too much pride to want to make himself look a fool with somebody he finds to be beneath him. I thought I was a bad ass bitch writing this chapter rubbing my hands together like a villain like: "Imma make Cam roast Seto in front of everybody! Mwhahaha!" But then realized that Cam wouldn't because she respects that Seto doesn't want their drama on display. So halfway through the chapter, I changed my plan. 
> 
> Also, can we please talk about how Ryou is definitely the mom friend?
> 
> It seems everytime I write a chapter my original plan gets changed and things to be tamed down. I suppose that's not a bad thing because I'm keeping true to character. 
> 
> Also, two chapters in two-ish days? It's my day off from work so I had all day to write. <3


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a serious/sappy chapter I think. While writing some of this I was wondering if I might have made Seto OOC or not? Because I made him so chill and open. Though, the way I interpret his character I think I gave him justice. What I had in mind in my head while typing out Seto's deep thought 'The lights are on but nobody's home' look was actually from the manga panel on the left here https://www.pinterest.com/pin/799037158861856500/ <\--- He's also wearing the same top in the scene during this chapter too. Wanted to give Kaiba boy a little flair to his outfit. ;D
> 
> As for Cam in this chapter, did you guys really see this coming? I was a bit wary if I should bringing something as serious as rape in my plot. But it's part of her character. It always was. I don't know if this a favorite chapter of mine. I'm a bit iffy about it.

Cameron crawled into the front seat of the car and slammed the door shut. After buckling up Seto drove off is a rush. The silence during the ride home was straining. The stone-faced brunette had a permanent scowl on his face. He changed from the more comfortable clothing he was dressed in back home and into his casual tight fitted spandex shirt with the high collar of a turtleneck. Cameron always found it a bit odd that her husband wore jogging gear as everyday wear though, she wasn’t one to judge. If it was a typical ride home she would have turned on the radio to break the silence. Knowing that Seto wasn’t happy she decided to stayed pressed into the cushion of the car seat not to upset him any further.

“So, are you not going to talk to me at all?” She kept her arms crossed and eyes out the window, watching the moving scenery.

He took his time to answer as his mind continued to brew.

“I’d rather not. You only like to fight. And only have courage with me alone. I don’t like how you played ‘fragile woman’ in front of those idiots. To make you think I abuse you or some nonsense,” His eyes were piercing, keeping concentration on the road ahead.

“They do not think you abuse me! Why would you think I’d lie like that about you?” She sat up straight and stared at him harshly.

“I don’t know Cameron! That mouthy blonde one said you don’t love me. So I can only go by assumptions!” He growled, getting annoyed with himself after taking the wrong turn and aggressively started turning the steering wheel. He stretched his arm over the back of Cameron’s seat to see what he was doing as he backed out.

“The only thing I told your friends was that our marriage was arranged. That’s why Malik said that. And I’m hurt that you’d think I’d lie about you abusing me. I’m not that kind of person,” She glanced up at him with a frown and looked away quickly when he straightened back to driving position.

“Those people aren’t my friends. Yugi is the only one I find trustworthy,” He fell silent again, continuing to drive home.

“Where’s Mokuba?” She asked meekly, finding ironic humor in her question as it was something Seto asked her often.

“Oh, now you care where Mokuba’s whereabouts are? Do you have any idea how much grief you put us through tonight?” He abruptly pulled over on a reclusive dead end street. Feeling that this was a better choice since he couldn’t keep his mind on the road.

His threatening eyes were only met with her now submissive form. The small brunette’s face showed pure saddened guilt. Scrunching herself up in the corner of the front seat, trying to avoid her husband’s judgemental look.

“I apologize. I’m sorry. Just at the moment, I didn’t feel like I belonged,” She bowed her head, rubbing her face to avoid tears.

“Spare me the crocodile tears! Do you realize what could have happened tonight if you weren’t with Yugi? Do you know how dangerous it is to be a Kaiba alone in public like that?” His anger was beginning to flare up, he bit his bottom lip to stop him from insulting further.

“I don’t know why you’re so mad. Nobody recognized me--”

“That has nothing to do with it! You’re a small woman alone at night Cameron! You barely speak Japanese and are vulnerable by yourself! At times I even make sure Mokuba has some sort of staff with him. It’s dangerous for you to wandering around. You can be targeted and attacked just for being my wife!” He barked, leaning in close to her and swiftly turned away slamming his fist on the steering wheel in rage.

“You constantly think I don’t care for you because I don’t fall all over you like some hard-up schoolboy. And it’s really starting to aggravate me,” He grumbled, lowering his head to run his fingers through his fringe.

“I didn’t realize that you were worried about my wellbeing. I thought you were just upset about me leaving and making a fool of you,” She quoted his most famous line he used at her.

“Of course I was worried! I didn’t know where the hell you went! The limousine driver was no help! Luckily the service to your phone showed me that you were connected to Yugi’s wifi. Which lead me to his derelict apartment,” He scoffed in displeasure.

Cameron stayed quiet listening to her husband’s words. Strangely feeling a sense of security she followed her initial reaction that was to stretched herself over to Seto’s seat and wrap her arms around him.

“I’m sorry I was selfish. Forgive me,” She whispered to him catching his lips and kissed.

“I hate when you do this,” He heaved, resting an arm around her waist and placed his hand on her lower back.

She smiled. “Is that so? You’re not pushing me away,” She kissed again and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, curling closer against him.

“That’s because I’m too tired to fight off your manipulation,” He weakly shivered after feeling her nibble at his neck.

“I’m not being manipulative though,” She sat up a bit to cup his face and kiss multiple times.

He returned each kiss, only letting himself feed her momentarily as his hand wandered down his wife’s rear and upwards to her back again. The kiss deepened as the caressing also becoming more heated. Cameron was the one to find her grip on her husband’s upper thigh first. As Seto was obviously not opposed to her advances he quickly cut their session short. Placing a hand over hers to stop her rubbing and broke the kiss.

Cameron frowned at this, a sense of discomfort overcame her to Seto’s sudden halt. “Did you not like that?” She asked gently.

“Don’t be mad woman. Of course, I did. But I think there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed before we dive into anything serious since I’ve discovered some unsettling truths,” He kissed at her neck before pulling away from her.

Cameron was puzzled, backing up to the passenger's seat again as she kept her eyes on Seto’s face. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain better when we get home. Buckle up,” He told her calmly as he revved up the engine again and drove off.

\--

When they got back to the Kaiba estate both fell silent once more. They walked into the dark mansion that was now empty. The staff had left for the night with only a selected few tucked away and relaxed far enough on the same grounds in a small housing area in the back garden. Seto had suggested that Cameron should shower and settled down in whatever room she’d felt most comfortable in. Without surprise, she had chosen the game room her and Mokuba were always found in. Coming in close to the second choice was her bedroom but decided not to as an attempt to avoid any risque behavior that might distract from the conversion. While Cameron went upstairs to shower Seto headed to the game room first. He turned on the news channel as background noise and scrolled through his phone as he waited for his wife to return. He answered the text message from Yugi asking if everything turned out okay between him and Cameron. The CEO just answered him with a simple ‘yes’ in reply.

A few minutes later Cameron appeared in the game room dressed in one of Seto’s loose t-shirts that he lounged in. There was no effort in wearing shorts underneath as they were home alone and by her husband’s approving attitude towards her affection, it was a clear sign that her gesture wouldn’t be denied. He set his phone down on the glass coffee table, crossing his leg as he watched Cameron walked up to the couch and crawled next to him.

“There’s no need for the get-up. You already gained my attention,” He looked at her in genuine content, reaching over to brush his fingers through the ends of her damp hair.

She smiled up at him, grabbing hold of his wrist and nuzzled into arm. “What did you want to talk about?” Her eased exterior soon faded as the unknown troubled her mind.

He slowly slipped his arm away and rested it on his leg. “Before we begin, I’d like to ask you to control your temper.”

Cameron hesitated, uncertain how to respond. “I’m scared. You don’t want to divorce me do you?”

Seto raised a brow looking down at her skeptically. “No, in all honesty. I should be asking you that question after how your behavior is,” He closed his eyes and shook his head to help focus on the more important issue.

Seto opened his eyes again, staring at her calmly. “Did Chambers force you into sexual situations you didn’t want to be apart of?” He asked in seriousness.

Cameron’s eyes widened not being surprised that her husband had found out her ex-fiance’s last name. As Seto didn’t hide the fact he snooped when he thought it was needed. She was sure that after confessing to him about her past love life that he dug up whatever he could find on the former lovers in her life. Which she didn’t take offense with because she had no secrets to hide.

“Yes, sometimes. It was after Jason came back being deployed the second time. His post-traumatic stress disorder became more severe. To where he lost touch with reality and did things that the man I first met would never do,” She found herself reaching for one of the couch cushions to hold, squeezing it close to her chest. It’s not like Cameron purposely kept these things from her husband. The bad occurrences that had happened in the past were something she thought was not appropriate to discuss.

“After dealing with his controlling ways and abuse for almost three years the last thing I did was throw the ring he gave me in his face. I never saw him again after that,” She shrugged it off like it didn’t internally hurt. Her husband gave a grunt in response, recalling how she threw her wedding ring at him as well.

“What about that other one?” Seto asked, draping an arm over the top of the couch. Keeping his cool gaze set on his wife’s troubled face.

“You mean Norm?” She asked.

“Yes the drunk, did he make you do things you didn’t want?” He slumped his shoulders down as an attempt to relax his muscles.

“No, Norm was so gentle and kind to me. I really loved him. He was probably the most caring partner I ever had. It’s just when he would drink he’d become belligerent. When he did get violent it wasn’t really aimed at me. I just got caught up in it,” Cameron felt overcome with emotion, starting to fanning herself using her hand as she fought off tears yet again.

Unlike the argument in the car, Seto took his wife’s tears as sincere knowing very well her experiences of a abuse were real. And in some form or another, he could relate as he stretched his arm back around her petite shoulder and lowered his face down to kiss her cheek.

“Why are you being so tender to me now after all this time?” She sobbed softly, covering her face with her hand.

“After you confessed about your brother Robert and the two degenerates I took in consideration that maybe your random outbursts were from not coping with stress correctly from over the past years,” He kept a gentle grip on the back of her head as he soothingly stroked his fingers through her hair.

Cameron never connected her rotted relationships to her current one. She was aware she used the arranged marriage as an outlet to escape the shambled life she was living in America. But never did she connect her uncontrolled emotions to her past lovers who ruined her trust. As she convinced herself that she got over that hurdle.

“I’m sorry,” She whimpered, wiping her eyes dry and glancing up at him only a moment.

“Do not apologize,” He told her harshly, continuing his soothing petting through her hair.

“Sorr--I mean. I don’t know Seto,” She whined softly.

He brought his hand back around to her face to tap under her chin for Cameron to lift her head. When she did he gave her a kiss on the lips.

“I want to prove to you that I’m not as monstrous as you make me out to believe. I don’t want to compare to those vile men that have had you before me. I want you to feel safe,” He straightened his back out more into the back of the couch as Cameron started crawling towards him. He accepted her into his lap as she grabbed onto the tops of his shoulders and gave him a deep kiss, quickly breaking it.

“Take off your pants please,” She cooed to him softly, stroking the sides of his neck with the tips of her fingers.

The offer was tempting but Seto had enough willpower to swallow his male desires and let reason speak. “I’d rather not mix pleasure with sensitive issues such as this Cameron,” He said calmly, letting her continue trailing kisses at his shoulders.

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” She backed up away from him and off his lap, playing with the blue tab that was attached to the zipper of his spandex top.

“Oh?” He raised a brow, playing giving the base of her thigh a loving squeeze.

“Yes, from personal experience I’ve discovered men listen better with their pants off. I’ve answered your questions. It’s your turn to air out some of your dirty laundry,” She smiled seeing the look of dread creep up on her husband’s face. Talking about his past was absolutely the last thing Seto wanted to discuss with Cameron. Granted, he acknowledged that the abuse he also experienced in the past had affected the way he acted. But unlike his wife, he felt like he was more in control of his demons. Therefore had no reason to vent and nothing to prove. Reliving the memories would only give him pointless stress.

“Come on Seto Kaiba! Take them off!” Cameron clapped her hands together making her husband’s eyes roll. He reluctantly stood up and unbuttoned his trousers, giving her his icy stare as he stepped out of the pants legs and neatly laid them on the back of the couch before sitting back down next to her.

Cameron gleefully scooted closer to him and kissed his ear. “Thank you!”

She linked arms with him, resting her head down on his bicep. “How many questions am I allowed to ask?” She intertwined fingers with him, knowing that if Seto wasn’t the leader of the game then he wasn’t going to play.

He cocked his head, pressing his lips tightly together as he thought. “Three,” He answered gruffly.

“Just three?” She pouted, still in awe that her husband is even taking her seriously.

“I’ll change my mind depending on how in depth the questions you come up with are,” He used his free hand to brush his fingers to the back of his head to smooth his hair down.

“Look at you, pro haggler!” She grinned, looking up at him with a content squint.

He smiled at her smugly, eyes casting down on her calmly. “The best,” He said in definite.

At this very moment, Cameron felt intense attraction towards Seto. It was a bizarre feeling because on a normal daily basis she found his oozing confidence too cocky for her taste at times. Women all over the world gushed over her husband’s looks and fierce attitude but for Cameron, to an extent, those things like that meant nothing to her. The shallow aspect of a relationship didn’t impress her much. The brunette was the most peace during times like this where Seto was open with her and acted like he was having fun. Instead of the role of overseer.

“Where are your scars from?” She started off easy, not wanting to irritate him too soon.

Seto’s facial expression was unfazed. Showing no internal emotions. She was expecting him to act in disgust at the question. But instead, he chose to go by his other standby reaction which was to show nothing at all.

“Why waste a question on that when you already know?” He tilted his head, slipping his arm away from her grasp and draped it over the couch behind her head to show security.

“Because I want to actually hear you say it. Instead of just assuming because your stepdad was an asshole,” She answered truthfully. It was unclear whether or not Seto knew what Mokuba had told her about Gozaburo or if the older Kaiba just took a lucky guess.

Seto rubbed his hand slowly down his face, closing his eyes tightly. “When I was a child I was only allowed to study. There was no room for free time, not even sleep. I was beaten when I wasn’t performing quick enough. The weapon of choice the old man liked to use most was a leather horsewhip. He chose my back because it was the best place to hide the wounds,” He fell into deep thought after the explanation.

Cameron didn’t stop his mind from drifting away as she laid her head on the back cushion of the couch. Her long hair pressed against the sides of her face, looking up at him lovingly. He caught her stare from the corner of his eyes, bringing himself back to the present.

“What?” He mumbled to her with a puzzled expression.

She smiled at him, stretching over to kiss him. “I love you,” She nuzzled her cheek to his neck.

Seto immediately stiffened at her touch, gripping his hands into fists as he swung his face away from hers.

“Oh please!” He spat.

“I don’t need your pity!” He seethed. Cameron could feel her husband closing up within himself to protect him from the unwanted emotions he tried so hard to shield.

She propped her elbow on the couch by his where his arm was draped to keep her head level with her hand that was rested by her ear.

“The last thing I’d do is pity you Seto,” Cameron was not upset by his sudden reaction. It was a defense mechanism.

Not getting a response she continued the questions. “Did he ever hit Mokuba?” She asked.

“No, he barely paid any mind to Mokuba. He was safer that way,” The tall brunette’s voice softened at the end of his sentence as he went into deep thought again.

Cameron placed a hand on Seto’s wrist and rubbed up against his arm as a sign of affection. “I’m really proud to have you as my husband. Not because of your good looks. Not because of money and success. But because you’re a strong-minded man. Your thick skin protects that loving heart of yours. Sometimes it’s hard to see but I’ve found myself recognizing more of your warmth.”

Seto’s eyes were glued to the polished wooden floor. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul and it must be true because at this moment the cut-throat CEO’s dark blue eyes were lacking the fierce passion always had. His state was actually concerning Cameron as it seemed something had broke in her husband.

“Seto, are you alright?” She shook him lightly to get a reaction.

“Hm?” He finally budged, slowly blinking to regain concentration. He looked at the time from the digital clock from the many electronics that were stored under the flat screen TV mounted on the wall.

“It’s rather late now. We should head off to bed,” He stood up abruptly and picked up his trousers, draping them over his arm.

Cameron looked up at him and nodded. She wasn't ready to give up on her prying as she felt like she was finally getting somewhere with her stubborn husband. Seeing Seto in such strange state was refreshing to see besides being faced with his constant hard persona. But it was also unsettling to her as well because of the unknown things that were still in question.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When writing the first part of this chapter I could only think of the lyrics Punchin' Bag by Caged Elephants which I'm going to admit is one of Cam's theme songs.
> 
> "She's a stone cold straight-faced killer and a lover  
> And she won't put up with another brood who only wants to bruise her  
> Take her love and then abuse her  
> She won't take no more, won't take no more  
> Won't take no more, won't take no more  
> Oh no ain't it a drag  
> If you take a swing, the kid swings back  
> She say, I'm not your punchin' bag  
> Heaven help ya, I'm telling the truth  
> Heaven help ya, she's coming for you  
> Heaven help ya, the girl likes to fight  
> Afraid of nothing and she carries a knife  
> What kind of man are you?  
> Instead of kisses you gave bruises  
> No more time for cheap excuses  
> If I were you, I would be leaving  
> Best you go while you're still breathing"
> 
> I hate the ending to this chapter. But I didn't want to make the chapter super long with filler.

The couple ended up retiring to Seto's bedroom for the night. They went to bed with plenty of comfort from each other but no form of intimacy was found between the sheets. The frightening void expression that overcame the strong-willed CEO was enough to dampen the mood. The next morning Cameron woke up hours before her husband. In all honesty, she had gotten very sleep from due to a busy mind. Recalling what had been said during the conversation in the game room last night. After a few hours of tossing and turning she'd only been able to drift off into a light slumber, Cameron decided to get up from the covers when the sun finally decided to glow through the blinds of the windows. She sat up straight with her back against the headboard and legs crossed. Now that her phone was fully charged she had a chance to answer Mokuba's texts messages back from last night. Informing him that his brother and she were back on neutral grounds and also apologizing to him for making them both worry about her wellbeing. With the younger Kaiba being back to his more boisterous self Cameron had gotten a light-hearted answerback.

_'Hey! Don't sweat it! As long as your safe! BTW, I stopped by Yugi's he said you forgot something!'_

There was a photo attachment to the message. Which was a picture Mokuba's hairy legs crossed and propped up on a footstool with Cameron's tiny fuzzy bunny slippers crammed and hanging off the younger Kaiba's gigantic feet. The sudden wit drew a giggle out from the petite brunette as she covered her mouth not to wake her husband. The background of the photo seemed to be the posh penthouse Mokuba stayed at most of the time which suggested that he had spent the night with Hyori that was no surprise to her.

Cameron's hunch was right after receiving another photo attachment of a headshot of both Mokuba and Hyori together posing humorously with the stylish Korean girl wearing the infamous convenience store hat. The fact that Mokuba felt safe enough to share information about his private social life made Cameron feel a sense of both sadness and warmth. It was a shame the younger Kaiba couldn't share the happiness he felt with Seto. It was one of the downfalls his dear loving brother had.

With that being said, Cameron quickly clicked out of her message inbox as she felt Seto stir under the covers and turn his heavy body to the side to face his wife. He felt around blindly, searching for her small frame. Keeping his eyes shut, his hand soon found her leg as he grabbed onto it and dragged her closer to him. He rested part of his head on her upper thigh. And kept a loose grip on her knee.

She looked at him perplexed with an amused grin growing on her face. "Um, excuse me, Sir. Can I help you?" She asked, reaching her hand down to pet the back of his head.

Being too exhausted to respond he did not answer quickly. With eyes slowly opening he ran his hand up her leg and rubbed the side of her thigh giving it a light squeeze.

"What time is it?" He muttered, looking up at her tiredly.

She raised a brow, picking her phone back up to look at the time. "It's Almost six, you have a few minutes to sleep."

Seto closed his eyes again, letting out an irritated sigh he got up unexpectedly. When he lifted his head up from her leg Cameron's eyes widened. Her face flushed with alarm.

"Seto," She spoke out his name sweetly.

"What is it?" He grumbled out, standing up from the bed and raised his arms above his head and stretched his neck as he twisted his body a certain way to cause his joints to crack.

"Please don't be mad at me when you go into the bathroom," She lowered her voice in almost a whisper.

Seto's brows flustered together at her comment.

"Why? What did you break in my bathroom?" He turned to face her again, standing in front of the bed as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

The more she stared at her husband the more she realized how foolish she was for acting out so violently last night. There was now a fresh bruise on Seto's jaw from where she punched him in the face during their argument. The skin around the infected area was a light reddish color not darkened yet due to the ruptured blood vessels being new. Cameron bit her lip and opened her arms to Seto.

"Can I have a kiss, please?" She cooed to him.

Her request only caused his puzzled expression to dim into suspicion as his eyes narrowed.

"What the hell did you do?" He shook his head in annoyance, walking into the spacious bathroom. Cameron hopped off the bed and followed behind him. He took a quick look around first, seeing nothing broken or out of place. He then started moving items around to see if there was any type of small error. After opening all the drawers to the cabinets and finding nothing out of order he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Taking a double take of his reflection, turning and touched the edge of his jaw where the discoloration was.

"You've got to be kidding me," He scoffed out, narrowed eyes catching Cameron's small structure standing in the doorway in the reflection of the mirror.

"And how do you suppose I go to work like this Cameron?" He continuously touched his jaw.

Her face dropped in shame, feeling regret for what she had done. She didn't respond, not having an answer and knowing that whatever she came up with it would be shot down with a snotty comeback regardless.

"Unbelievable," He mumbled viciously under his breath as he opened the top cabinet to pull out his electric razor.

Composing enough courage Cameron hurried in, wrapping her arms around his waist as Seto began to shave.

"I'm sorry," She mewled out, pressing herself tightly against his bare back.

"Cameron, please! You're acting like a child. Get off me and pull yourself together," He held the razor away from him as he pushed her off.

"I've had enough stress from you last night. I don't need you ruining today as well."

She released her grip as soon as he rejected her embrace. "I'll get you some ice," She said, walking out of the room to let him finish tidying up.

Cameron came back before Seto got dressed. She stopped him right before he was ready to leave the bathroom.

"Sit down on the toilet for me?" She asked, handing him a silicone ice-pack and a lacey looking make-up bag in her other hand.

He squinted, placing the ice-pack on his jaw and slowly sat down. "Going to try to cover up your evidence?" He sneered at her with a smirk.

"That's not funny! I shouldn't have hit you in the mouth," She lowered her face, digging through her bag and pulled out a bottle of aloe cream.

When she came close he removed the ice-pack from his skin for her to apply the cream to his bruise to sooth the inflammation. It stayed quiet between them as Seto willingly let her continue her task. He kept his cunning eyes on her as she fingered through her things and pulled a makeup pallet out.

"I don't think I have your skin tone," She said, looking through the choices of shades.

"That doesn't surprise me. Your skin tone is dark like Mokuba's," He pressed the ice-pack closer to his face to hopefully get a better result after taking it off.

Cameron said nothing, stepping forward in front of him again as she dipped her brush into a light green shade. Before she was able to touch the bristles to her husband's face he swiftly leaned back.

"You're not putting green on my face," He told her sternly.

"Your skin isn't going to stay that color. The green goes on first to mute out the red if I don't use green your bruise will show through the foundation," She explained, shooing his hand to move the ice-pack out of the way.

Seto rolled his eyes, boring quickly from this chore. He hung his free arm low, holding the ice-pack loosely in his hand as he watched how meticulously his wife mixed the colors and blended the right shade she needed for his skin tone to match. After she took the now soggy ice-pack from him and stepped out of the way for him to critique her work in the mirror.

"Well, it's doable," He said, tilting his head in different angles to see if it was camouflaged enough before looking over his shoulder at her.

"You barely wear make-up I didn't know you knew so much about it."

She avoided eye-contact at first, placing her items back inside the bag. "It's because I've had a lot of practice hiding my own bruises from other people's evidence," She looked up at him saddened with a smile.

"I see," He answered somberly, touching his jaw again lightly.

"Anyway, where does Mokuba get his tan skin if you're so pale?" She tried changing the subject.

He paused getting caught off guard a moment. "Our father. I have more of my mother's pigment. Though, she had dark eyes like Mokuba," He answered her with ease for once.

\--

The rest of the morning was rushed as Seto was now late for work. Cameron was more worried about his tardiness than he was. Quickly getting tired of reassuring her that because he was the boss it didn't matter what time he went in. They did, however, agree on skipping breakfast since time was tight and Cameron also had Kaiba Corp duties to tend that day. Before parting separate ways in mudroom the petite brunette caught Seto in her grasp again, standing on her tiptoes and keeping a tight grip on his neck to prevent smudging the makeup off his jaw. He fed into the aggressive kissing, hidden from the maids behind the wooden door. He broke away first, slipping his hands off her hips and straightened his tie.

"I'll see you for lunch?" He asked, using his thumb to wipe off the smudged rose-colored lipstick off her chin from their kissing.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. He squeezed her lightly in response and released his grasp. Seto held hands with his wife and escorted her to the limousine that was ordered for her. After opening the door when she was seated he leaned into her and looked down at her sternly.

"I'll be expecting you to lose your neediness by this afternoon. Do you understand?" He mumbled to her lowly.

Cameron tilted her head, playfully brushing her finger against his lips. "Only if you re-hire that nice older gentleman you fired last night~" She mumbled cheerily back, referring to the innocent chauffeur from last night.

He glared at her, swatting her hand away. "I'll consider it," He answered her dryly, slamming the door.

\--

The limousine headed towards one of the smaller Kaiba Lands outside of Domino City a few towns away. While Seto choice to drive himself to Kaiba Corp, picking out one of his many Mercedes-Benz. Despite the terrible evening, Cameron was actually looking forward to her schedule for today. After the success of the donation event on the cruise ship, Seto had assigned his wife the duties of all child and charity related work. It was responsible Cameron didn't feel obligated to. Credit was due to the CEO of Kaiba Corp because he knew his wife's interests. Cameron wasn't one for sticking around in stuffy offices all day and bossing people around. She wasn't sociable as Mokuba with the media since the younger Kaiba was in command of the public relations department of the company. Which is the reason why Seto held such tight reins on his brother's personal life. The older Kaiba constantly mocked Mokuba's online obsession but in reality, his online actives increase popularity in the company through social media. And this was a good excuse to hand the charity work off to Cameron as she loved children and her nurturing personality fit in the job description. Picking Mrs.Kaiba for the task wasn't just because of the appeal she had for children. The final decision had calculation behind it. Seto knew having his soft-hearted wife in the role would gain the company a lot of positive attention from families. Which are his main consumers. To him, that was the most important. Whether Cameron understood that or not.

It was about a thirty-minute drive from Domino City to the Kaiba Land. Seto had chosen to close this small Kaiba Land to cater to one of the many orphans that the company supported. The children had the park all to themselves to ride and play games without any interruptions. When Cameron stepped out of the limousine she was greeted by Hyori, running up to her delightfully. She was waving and wearing a pink Kaiba Land hoodie with the cartoon Blue Eyes mascot outlined. Cameron was wearing the same top but in a baby blue. Both girls wore jean shorts, coordinating on purpose.

"Hello Hyori," Cameron smiled, hugging the former idol close.

"Hi, Cam!" She hugged back and slipped away, holding hands with Cameron loosely.

"Are you feeling okay? I was there when Seto called Mokuba and was freaking out. I never heard him so upset!"

Cameron blushed as embarrassment overcame her. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry thank you!" She smiled big trying to hide her pained expression.

"I'm more worried about you and Mokuba. That's what ignited the argument between me and Seto," She slowly slipped her hands away from Hyori as they began to walk through the entrance of the park.

"Mokuba told me. I already knew about keeping our dating under wraps. Seto scolded both us when he found out about an after party we attended once," She explained, her high pony-tail swaying back and forth as she strutted alongside Cameron.

"I'm taking that Mokuba didn't break it off with you? That's what Seto requested him to do," Cameron said, looking in the back of her to see if the bus of children had arrived yet.

"Mokuba just said we have to lay low for awhile. He doesn't want to break up with me. Ji-Hun doesn't seem too impressed with Kaiba Corp's offer anyway. He said the holograms for our shows only do so much," She shrugged in uncertainty to the situation.

Cameron made a face to her explanation. "But do you really think sneaking around is a good idea?"

The clicking of Hyori's designer shoes suddenly stopped as she slowed her pace and stood still, looking at Cameron in distress causing the small American to stop in her tracks to meet eyes the other woman.

"Are you saying that we should break up?"Her words made Cameron's face light up in alarm.

"What? No! No, not at all!" She put her hands up in dense, the pain in Hyori's eyes was secretly defeating her. Cameron could relate to this misery.

"We wouldn't have to sneak around if you're husband wasn't such an asshole! My brother doesn't care about my affairs unless they're harmful. Which mine and Mokuba's aren't," Hyori's glossy peach lips curved into a frown as she flipped the hair from her long ponytail to the back of her shoulder.

Cameron nodded in agreement. "You're preaching to the right person. My husband can be an asshole. And I was the first one to tell him off about how ridiculous he is towards Mokuba. We fight about it often. I just think being honest will pay off in the end then being dishonest by doing things behind the company's back. If Seto finds out he'll be even more upset then he already is."

Hyori wasn't swayed by Cameron's words. Getting irritated by this point. "Well, I think that's up to Mokuba. You should know yourself that if I said anything to Seto he'd fire me on the spot!"

Before Cameron could respond the sound of screaming children broke the conversion between the two Kaiba Corp girls. They both turned at the oncoming noise where a herd of a dozen children were gathered together running amuck.

"I'll try to persuade both of them to talk it out," Cameron whispered to Hyori before she spun around and changed her attitude, greeting the children with a smile.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where the f*ck did this chapter even come from???? Like, I was sort of stuck and dreading it. And somehow halfway through I got really into it? Sorry folks. No real drama in this chapter today. Literally all fluff. Showing a lot of love towards Kaiba enjoying kids. (Which is sort of cannon right?) I mean, his main goal was to make an amusement park for orphans. And then a school for kids to learn dueling. Yeah, it's I'd say it's pretty cannon Kaiba likes kids. 
> 
> I wanted to bring back Ben into the plot and thought it was long enough waiting. So, there's some drama that will brew. 
> 
> A lot of this chapter is explaining head-cannon stuff I really like? (And made up) Is that bad? I don't care. 
> 
> Sidenote: Can you tell that I was listening to the whole Joanne Album while writing this? Lady Gaga is my bitch!

There was an elderly woman that were chaperoning the children. Holding a toddler in her arms. Most of the children were primary school age. With only a couple of teenagers, which were excited to see Hyori as she was a popular idol from a girl group called B. Beauty. The first K-pop group Ji-Hun, also a former idol had produced from his company Charisma Complex.

"How is everybody doing today? How many of you have visited Kaiba Land before?" Cameron asked enthusiastically and slowly in Japanese. When she stuttered Hyori was happy enough to correct her on words. The woman of the group understood enough English to raised raise hand at the question along with only one of the teenager who was a tall lanky girl with a bob-cut and baggy shorts.

"Only one? Wow! I'm glad you guys can enjoy the day with us then!" Hyori added, pressing her hands that were covered by the sleeves of her hoodie on her cheeks making an exaggerated look of shock on her face.

The first location the group was brought to was the laser tag arcade. Where the three boys of Shining Knight were waiting to surprise the children. They were dressed in Americana fashion. It wasn't long for the idol group and Hyori stole the spotlight from Cameron. Which wasn't a complaint as Mrs.Kaiba didn't mind fading into the background knowing that the orphans would rather be swept away by the glamour of idols than the less energetic wife of Seto Kaiba. So, she stayed tucked behind the mayhem helping chaperon along side the elderly woman who passed the now sleeping toddler to her. There was extreme interest in when Cameron was ready to have her own child. And how exciting it would be to see the aloof CEO of Kaiba Corp cradling a baby in his arms. Cameron was entertained by this conversation as she had the same train of thought about bearing her own child despite the major intimacy struggles she had with her husband. She relished in carrying the toddler in her arms, feeling a sense of worth and was disappointed when the little one awoke and she was only forced to set him down to join the others.

After a bit of time passed and Cameron did end up joining the ruckus of the rambunctious tykes. Shining Knight were having no trouble keeping up with the children's interest. Supposing that it was because they were trained to be entertainers. They knew how to catch the wandering minds of the youth. After going around the attractions of the park. Cameron had to use her nursing knowledge only once to attend care to one of the smaller girls who fell and got a pretty large scrape on her knee from clumsily falling to the ground trying to catch up to the older kids. The day events ended at one the large concession stand.

Everybody gathered at a large picnic table, the children clustered more towards Shining Knight as they were now vlogging. Benny as the cameraman sang donguri korokoro in the background in unison with Bam-Bam, Babka, and Hyori. Cameron listened closely, holding one of the toddler girls in her lap as she clapped along with the song. She knew enough Japanese to ask the children what the song was about. And they happily told her it was a story about a little acorn who falls into the water and befriends a fish.

Lunch was soon interrupted by Seto's tall frame approaching from behind the small crowd. When he was finally spotted the children gasped with the help of Shining Knight triggering a bigger response for a better viewing of the vlog. Unlike normal circumstances, the CEO had a pleasant appearance. His facial expression less straight and stern and more relaxed and welcoming. This also included his clothing which was also rather casual. He had changed from a suit and into a more appropriate outfit for this typical kind of outing. A blue pinstripe oxford collar shirt tucked into a pair of slim fit trousers.

He paid no mind to the callow idols, only taking interest in the elderly woman who stood at Mr.Kaiba's presence. Her voice was joyous, squeezing Seto's hands in a weak grip as she thanked him many times for giving the orphan's a chance to visit the theme park for free. Seto shook his head at the woman surely saying some kind words back to assure her. It was unclear what actually had been said since Cameron only understood parts of the conversion. As it was being spoken in Japanese. He soon strode straight towards the table with the woman. He greeted the children in a friendly manner, taking a seat next to his wife to talk to them more up close and personal. Hyori was seated from across from Seto. Both were cordial to each other but both showed very little acknowledgment to one another.

The awkwardness could only be felt by Cameron who was the only one out of the three that knew outright how everyone felt about their personal situation. Though, this was the last of her worries as Cameron's eyes were only focused on Seto's face as she observed cautiously of how the redness to his bruise was showing slightly through the pale colored fountain. She was hoping that she was only one who recognized it.

The conversation Seto had with the children was light-hearted. He had brought his card holster, fanning out his deck for the young duel monster players who were interested. Cameron adored her husband when he showed warmth like this. It was a rare occasion she was honored to experience. After some more chatting, the interaction with the orphans came to a close as it was getting close to early evening and it was about time for them to head back to the home. Shining Knight and Hyori had parted ways a few minutes beforehand as it was now just the Kaibas and the children. Seto gave the elderly woman a gentle goodbye as he accepted her hug before heading off with her group of tykes to the bus.

Seto held hands with Cameron, walking in silence to his private parking space in the back of Kaiba Land. He unlocked the car and slipped into the driver's seat as his wife crawled into the passenger's seat where her large stylish messenger bag was laid. It was left in the limo, Seto must have fetched it for her.

"How does your jaw feel?" She asked, dragging her bag into her lap and opened it.

"Good? I don't notice it," His answer sounded detached as he put on his sunglasses and started up the engine.

She frowned at his tone, the warmth he had was gone with the children.

"Seto, before we go can I touch up your face? Your bruise is starting to show through," She said gently, keeping a hand in her bag ready to pull her makeup pouch out.

He looked through his shades at her, turning the key to shut the car back off.

"If you must," He pulled his sunglasses back off with an irritated sigh as Cameron leaned in close and used a baby wipe to take the foundation off.

Quietness settled between them again as Cameron repeated the process she did this morning. Seto rested comfortably in his seat and closed his eyes, strangely feeling at ease.

"I couldn't stop thinking about how I made this bruise. And I'm truly sorry Seto," She said, sitting upright again after finishing the touch-up.

Seto slowly opened his eyes to look up at her. His wife was sitting on her knees, holding the makeup pallet to her chest and looked ready to burst into tears. Her constant mopy attitude was beginning to frustrate him.

"I'm aware," He answered dryly.

"We both know you're anger is out of control. And you need to handle it. Crying isn't going to fix the issue. My best advice to you is dry your tears. It's not helping either of us," His sharp tone was still clear but spoke gentle enough not to come across completely crass.

Cameron kept her head bowed, setting the pouch back in her bag. "It scares me because the bruise I formed on you reminds me of the times I've been hit and left with bruises," She hesitated to console herself and continued. Seto crossed his arms, he didn't mind being patient.

"I don't want to hurt you like they hurt me. I'm just scared," She lifted her head back up slowly, eyes glossy from wet eyes.

"There's no need to be scared. I've tried proving to you that you're safe with me. I have no ulterior motives for this marriage Cameron. I thought I made that pretty clear," He spoke sternly to her, the doubtfulness she had was sucking all the energy out of him.

She only nodded in response, setting her bag aside and buckling up. He slowly sat up as he watched her movements. After putting his sunglasses back on he wrapped an arm around his small wife, squeezing her close to him as some form of a hug trying to give her a sign of affection.

"Don't fret," He kissed the top of her head before slipping away.

\--

The ride to the destinated restaurant was long. Almost an hour away with only the radio filling the void of silence between the couple. A mix of some acoustic music, favorites of Cameron's from college. Such as Dave Matthews Band. It was unclear whether her husband enjoyed the playlist. He had mentioned before it didn't matter to him since he was used to listen to all kinds music with Mokuba.

Speaking of the younger Kaiba, the restaurant picked was obviously not Seto's taste. An old 50s American style diner. Looking quite out of place in Japan. And that is what made it such a novelty. Seto stepped in first, holding the door open for Cameron as the couple instantly got the attention of the customers. He pressed his palm to the back of her shoulder. Staring right ahead, ignoring the chatter and gawking from the passer-bys. A waitress dressed in typical nostalgic Car-Hop outfit escorted them to a reserved booth in the far back of the restaurant where it was excluded from the nosy crowd. The floor was black and white checkered and the basic color scheme being a dusty pink color and a pastel turquoise, which was the color of the booth they were sitting in. As the most of the stools at the front counters being a pattern of the two colors. Pop art was framed on the wall. Such as Popeye and Olive Oil and Astro Boy dressed as the famous BIG BOY holding up the iconic giant burger on the plate.

The waitress placed down menus before seeing herself out of the couple's way. Seto stretched his arm out to Cameron as a gesture for her to slip into the booth first. She frowned at this.

"How come I can't ever sit outside the booth? You know I hate being stuck in the corner," She pouted, crossing her arms in protest.

"Because you're going to end up inside the booth anyway because Mokuba doesn't like sitting being stuck in the corner either," He stepped aside and kept his arm out for her, not being convinced by any type of whining he'd get from her.

Cameron stayed still for a moment as sulked before she surrendered and crawled into the booth, holding her purse in her lap as Seto slid in next to her.

"I don't know why you're complaining. You're so small. It's difficult sitting in booths when you're tall," He mumbled to her, only glancing up as the waitress came back with a couple glasses of waters.

"Oh, I am so sorry that you were born with grasshopper legs," She opened the menu, holding it up to her face as she rolled her eyes and let out a small squeal when she felt her husband pinch her elbow. It was nice to see that he had enough warmth to be playful.

"Stop!" She giggled, smacking his arm teasingly.

Her sudden outburst caused a stirring in the public from afar. Seto did not like this, he grabbed onto Cameron's arm harshly and leaned in close to scold.

"Don't be so loud," He grunted to her, quickly letting go of her arm.

This was another instant that Cameron could tell that the choice in restaurant was Mokuba's. Seto was not the type to like to visit busy diners. He preferred eating in or going to the coffee shops he owned. Cameron can recall Seto even renting out part of an establishment. Which he did numerous times when they were first engaged. Seto liked his privacy. He was well known to the media and loathe being bombarded by so-called 'admires.' Seto had expressed before that he had great appreciated to his true fans. Who knew enough not to bother him when he just wanted to be left in peace. Cameron was a little skeptical to her husband's train of thought. Though, she knew better because Seto was very loyal to his die-hard followers. He attended cons just to see them and sometimes found time to still host some sort of contests for them. Seto wasn't an avid duelist anymore. He never claimed to retire but had admitted due to age he wanted to focus more on growing a stronger company than holding a title that he had already won and lost.

It was obvious when Mokuba arrived he basked in the attention he got from the public. He wasn't given the position as PR for no reason. He took his time to the booth as he stopped at every customer that had approached him. Unlike Seto who made sure to give anybody who looked their way a death glare. After snapping a couple of selfies and signing a couple of napkins the younger Kaiba eventually found his way to brother and sister-in-law.

"Hey! sorry, I'm late! I stopped by my PO box real quick," He explained, holding a medium-sized cardboard box under his arm and keys in hand. It was a rare coincidence where Mokuba was more overdressed than Seto. He was still in his grey and mauve colored suit and hair braided down his back. He set the already open box down. Inside the booth as he sat across from his older brother.

"It's okay. We weren't waiting long," Cameron assured him, passing a menu over to him.

"Cool, yeah. I love this place. Doesn't it remind you of Twin Peaks?" Mokuba grinned, taking the menu from Cameron and only glancing it over before setting it down.

Cameron looked around a moment and nodded with a smile. "Now that you mention it. It does," She said, making eye-contact with her brother-in-law.

Mokuba nodded, taking a sip of water from the glass that was untouched by Seto. "It reminds me of a place me and my mates from college used to eat at when I studied abroad in America. Yugi really likes it here too because of the burgers."

Seto let the conversation go over his head as there was nothing that peaked his interest enough to engage. Instead, he fiddled about on his phone. Scoffing quietly to himself over looking emails.

"That's really nice! Next time we should come with Yugi and his friends!" She repositioned herself, using Seto's arm to secure herself from slipping off the booth as she sat down on her leg.

"Oh yeah! Speaking of Yugi!" He picked up the box and slid it over to the short brunette.

"The mail came from your friend Ben. He's really awesome! He must listen to my podcast because he mailed me an original Robocop doll in mint condition. I mentioned how I rewatched the movies and how rare the original merch was. The note inside the box said he wanted to thank me for replacing his broken phone. He also said the other items in there are for you, Cam. I just put your bunny slippers in there to carry," He jabbed the box closer to the edge to tease his sister-in-law.

She grabbed it swiftly, squinting at Mokuba and pushed away from the cardboard wings of the box. Pushing the bag where the bunny slippers were still protected in. There was a stuffed rabbit sitting under a couple of picture frames. This is what finally caught Seto's attention, peeking over at the impractical gifts from her ex.

"Aw! It's Aidan!" She looked down further into the box and plucked up the stuffed rabbit. Its pink fur was no longer silky, now lumpy from age. One of its ears was flopped from the plastic holding it up straight had broken. It wore a blue knitted sweater, also looking well worn.

"Who?" Seto mumbled unimpressed.

"The rabbit," Mokuba answered pleasantly and pointed over to the stuffie.

The waitress soon approached the booth again causing Seto to turn his attention away.

"Alright Cameron, time to put your toys away," His words were dripping with sarcasm.

\--

The table in the booth was cluttered with different dishes arranging from breakfast to dinner. Seto who opted for a traditional classic, Salisbury steak. Which he was not very impressed with as he complained that it was too much like cheap hamburger steak that was a popular dish in Japan. Cameron went the breakfast route with a stack of blueberry pancakes. Mokuba decided to live it up and choose the best of both worlds. Joining his brother in another standby Western dish of an open face turkey sandwich and claimed a pancake to help his dear sister-in-law's small distressed stomach.

Half-way through the meal, Cameron went back to digging in her box of gifts. Pulling out the two framed photos that were taken by Ben and enlarged. She had recognized both. The first one the picture that was taken of her and Seto kissing by the bow of the ship. And the other picture is the whole group of them at breakfast before the ship docked.

"This was really sweet of him," She said, admiring the photos.

"Don't be so simple-minded by being astonished by pictures that could be taken offline and printed out in frames," Seto looked down at his watch and pushed his plate of unfinished food further away from him.

"I thought they were nice too," Mokuba smiled sincerely, trying to keep the mood chipper as he ate the last of the piece of pancake.

"I think I'll give Yugi the group photo. As a gift. Since we're all in it. And it's nice to have a picture you can actually hold since everything is digital nowadays," Cameron stayed positive as well, ignoring Seto's jealous streak he seemed to have.

In honor of keeping the theme of Twin Peaks, Cameron and Mokuba agreed on splitting a slice of cherry pie. Along with a vanilla shake just for the hell of it. Seto helped pick at some of the desserts before excusing himself to the washroom only to be sneaking towards the front desk to pay for the meal before Mokuba stopped him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of my head-cannons mentioned in this chapter: 
> 
> Mokuba created a podcast while he’s in college called “SHUT UP MOKUBA!” After that one time his brother was overheard telling him to shut up.  
> The podcast includes guests like Ryou and Duke. Yugi is co-host when he had time to participate. Topics of the podcast vary depending on what’s popular at the time. When Mokuba talks too much or goes off topic somebody yells “SHUT UP MOKUBA!” To go along with the theme.
> 
> Kaiba mellowing out with age. Taking a lot of inspiration from Eric Stuart. I love how Eric and Dan (Yugi’s voice actor) interact. I’d like to think when Kaiba becomes less competitive he has that edgy asshole persona for show (Like Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay) Because that’s what the media finds entertaining.  
> Kaiba really appreciates his fans and goes to cons and dueling events when he has time. He goes with Yugi when they both have shared schedules.  
> Does a lot of children’s charity work. He donates a lot to orphans and gives out dueling scholarships.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Insert clapback Emoji here) I don't know where these chapters are coming from!!!! Again, this chapter didn't go where I wanted it to really? Sort of? It was good enough to post here. Kaiba's overprotectiveness with Mokuba can be debated. The Kaiba I try to convey has a lot of guilt for becoming a greedy bastard after Gozaburo's death. 
> 
> It's defiantly a cat and mouse game with Cam and Kaiba. It seems that every time they go one step forward it's three steps back.
> 
> Also, a little nod to Kisara!

After a small dispute of Mokuba’s displeasure about Seto never letting him pay for dinner the two brothers decided to work off all the extra calories and head to the first floor of the manor when all three of them returned home to the Kaiba estate. The offer of working out with them was passed up by Cameron. Knowing very well that she would be left in the dust between the two of them. And would rather not mingle with the brothers once they became competitive.

Cameron has left to her own devices yet again. Not really minding tonight as the day ended off being enjoyable. She walked into the living room with her box, picking out the photo of her and Seto kissing and moving it around from table to wall seeing where it would fit better. After rearranging a few tchotchkes on the fireplace mantel she left the photo centered in the middle as it was the biggest piece to be displaced. Besides the giant Blue Eyes White Dragon painting that hung over the stone fireplace. The picture itself was very impressive. Looking to be made of oil paints and other textures. The Dragon took more of a realistic approach than how it's normally is depicted on the Duel Monster card. Its wings were spread out almost noble like in a night sky background filled with different shades of blended blues and whites of clouds. The frame was silver to match the theme of the picture. It took up a good portion of the wall. This piece of art was one of Seto’s prized possessions. The painting was created by a fan in Portugal. A woman in her 40s at the time, who loved the Blue Eyes as much as him. It wasn’t unusual to have that dragon overshadow their marriage.

Cameron sighed, overlooking the photo only having her eyes get distracted by the divine painting. She turned sharply and picked up her box as she headed upstairs to her room. Giving Aidan the bunny a new home wasn’t hard as there was enough space on top of Cameron’s dresser for the rabbit to sit upon. She toyed with its ears a moment before heading off into the shower. Seto and Mokuba’s shouting could be heard from outside the window as they were running laps together around the manor. Seto’s reprimanding to Mokuba to stop jumping off the pillars of the building could be heard faintly outside the window of the bathroom. She couldn’t help but crack a smile. Being reminded of how the younger Kaiba complains and compares Cameron’s scolding being similar to his brother.

A quick shower was had as the short brunette walked out wrapped in her robe. She blew dried her hair and dressed in a cutesy floral pajama set that consisted of shorts and a tank top, pulling the Kaiba Land hoodie back over her head to keep warm. As it was a cold night. Her room was slightly dimmed, pulling the box back over to her and looked down at the group photo again with a smile.

“I can’t believe you’re so impressed by those pictures,” Her husband’s voice was heard from behind. When Cameron looked over her shoulder Seto’s tall frame was leaned against the doorway, still dressed in his black form-fitting jogging set. The ice pack from this morning was filled back up against his face as Seto held it there.

“They are very nice photos. It was kind enough of Ben to even think of gifting them,” She said calmly, glancing down a moment and slid the box out of the way as Seto walked towards the bed and laid down on his back next to her.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged unimpressed, keeping the ice firmly to his jaw.

Cameron dropped the box onto the wooden floor and turned, so her back faced the headboard. She sprawled out her legs and folded her hands in her lap.

“Did Mokuba ask about the bruise?” She frowned, looking over at Seto. The low lighting emphasized the sweat that glistened on his skin.

“I don’t think so if he did he didn’t say anything. I just took the makeup off. So he probably didn’t notice. His mind is too busy on other things anyway,” He said tiredly.

“When you mean other things. You’re referring to Hyori aren’t you?” She asked, slipping down onto the comforter and settled down on her side to face him.

Seto gave a grunt in response, catching eye-contact with her. There was no harshness to be found. Perhaps the CEO was feeling content tonight. Which was a nice change for once.

“Have you talked to him anymore about it?” She asked, curling against him letting his free arm draped over her side.

“What else is there to talk about? My mind has been made. He’s going to continue to see her behind my back. Where do you think he is now? Not with his friends that he claims,” Seto scoffed, starting to run his hand down his wife’s back and upwards.

Being this close Cameron could feel the slight chill to the ice-pack. She looked up at her husband. “You shouldn’t fire her. She’s really good at entertaining.”

“I’ll fire her when trouble starts to strew about. Mokuba is going to get hurt. And he’s not going to get any sympathy from me,” He said bitterly, stroking the tips of his fingers through the ends of her hair.

“Hyori seems like a nice girl. Don’t you think you’re just being too cynical?” She relaxed her body against his, cheek pressed against his dampened top. At this point, Cameron didn’t care if he smelled like sweat. The soft moment alone was enough to make her tolerate it.

“No, I’m being realistic. Mokuba still sees things with a soft heart. He has to grow up sometime,” Seto answered dryly, tossing the ice pack to the end table and closed his eyes.

Cameron let out a boisterous laugh, rolling away from his side. Her sudden amusement caused her husband to open his eyes again, staring at her annoyed.

“What’s so funny?” He grumbled, keeping his hand behind her back so she didn’t roll far away from him.

Cameron kept her mouth covered with the sleeve of her hoodie to muffle her laugh. “I literally say that you to you all the time. You are overprotective of Mokuba. You’re going to make him resent you for stopping him from living his own life,” She pulled her hand away from her mouth to rub at his chest affectionately.

His cunning eyes followed her hands, staring down at them a moment before locking eyes back with her. “Kaiba Corp is our life--”

“Yes, I already know what you’re going to say. I’ve heard you the two other times you’ve explained that the company and your brotherhood is more important than women. Unlike you, Mokuba is a social creature. Don’t you want to see him happy and married one day?”

Seto squinted at her words, staying silent as he processed what his wife had to say. He placed a hand over hers and rubbed down her arms gently.

“You’re making me sound like sort of villain. Of course, I want Mokuba happy! Do you think I chose this life for myself? No! It was for him! All the turmoil I had to endure was for us. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat!” His arrogant tone surfaced back as he absent-mindedly squeezed at and played with Cameron’s hands at this point.

Cameron’s mouth stretched into a broad smile as she slipped her hands away from his grasp and hugged her husband’s larger frame close to her. Seto hesitated, confusingly patting her back as a return of affection.

She began to place kisses on his cheek and down to his bruised jaw. “You have to remember to let Mokuba have growth. He can’t grow when you coddle him. Making mistakes helps you learn,” She whispered to him, perking her head up to peck his lips.

Unlike his wife, Seto didn't feel much up for doting. Taking her words to heart made his relax state become more uptight. His eyes darkened over and mouth back in a prominent scowl.

“I don’t coddle him! You think if I did he would be running a business as impeccable as he does?” He leaned his head back away from Cameron as she brushed noses with him and continued to leave soft kisses on his covered shoulders and chest. He stared down at her critically, trying to grasp her unexpected behavior.

“What has gotten into you that you feel the need that you must rub up against me like a cat?” He asked a bit disgruntled.

Seto studied her body language as she pressed closer to him. Her touches were so tender. Along with her kissing. It didn’t compare to her mantic kissing from this morning which was made very clear that her motives then were fueled by guilt. Instead of fighting it Seto decided to give into her game. He wrapped his hands around her small waist and decided to take the lead in this game again, lifting himself up and rolling Cameron onto her back. He loomed over her with his back arched. Cameron kept her palms firmly pressed into the back of his shoulders. Her long hair was spread out over the pink pillowcase and gazed up at him was filled with content. It was almost unrecognizable to Seto as most of his wife’s expressions were mainly distraught towards him.

“I don’t understand why you’re so worried about Mokuba being too soft. You raised him. He is your prodigy. Not only with Kaiba Corp but he also holds your heart,” Cameron cooed to him gently, twirling a piece of his hair around her finger.

Her gold eyes were so beautiful in the soft lighting. What was this trickery? This overly emotional woman was pulling right at his heartstrings. Was this one of Cameron’s mind games? No, it felt too sincere for that. Seto kept it cool. Keeping his pro-poker face on as he smirked and sat up straight causing his wife to release her grip on him.

“Take off your shirt for me,” He told her calm but firm.

Cameron was taken back by his words, blinking in confusion. Fear was clear when it struck her face.

“Why?” She warily squeaked out.

“I want to see that beautiful body of yours,” He told her frankly. Keeping his eyes on her face, brushing her bangs neatly in place as she slowly sat up. Seto moved a bit away from her.

Cameron glanced at her husband from the side of her eyes, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and began to pull off her hoodie above her head. Her tank-top came off easily as the two different fabrics clung together making it able to strip from both garments quicker. Seto grabbed the clothing away from her as she began to separate it. He tossed it aside onto the floor next to the box.

“That’s not important right now. Turn to me,” He said sternly.

Cameron kept her eyes on the floor, feeling rather vulnerable.

“You’re so embarrassing Seto,” She whined, slowly turning to face him again as she brought her legs back up on the bed.

He reached over and pushed her long hair to the back of her shoulders so her breasts were no longer covered. He didn’t say a word as he admired his wife’s structure. It was the first time he had gotten an up close and personal view of her bare skin.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re so beautiful,” He told her gently and leaned in to kiss at the tops of her shoulders.

His arm found its way back around her waist to pull her closer to him. She laid her legs into his lap, grabbing onto his bicep for support. They caught lips for only a moment only having Seto pull away, being preoccupied with parts of her that he’d rather like to kiss. He ran his tongue down her neck and sucked gently at her caramel skin. Leaving little nips from her collarbone causing Cameron shiver. His wife’s reaction was satisfying to him. A cocky smile was hidden against her chest plate as he continued his trail of kisses down to her breasts. He took his time to kiss them, using a firm hand to continuously rub up and down her leg. At this point, Cameron’s face was buried in the crook of her husband’s neck. Her hands clung to the spandex of his top. The sensation of his mouth against her chest was delightful but also slightly terrified her. Not wanting to come across easy.

Seto’s hand soon left her leg as he used both hands to cup the small breasts together. He massaged them a moment before putting his lips to her nipples and began to suckle. A loud enough moan finally escaped Cameron, throwing her head back. She kept a hand pressed against his back using it as a support while she arched her back a bit. Finally giving into the sensation as it got stronger. She started wiggling her legs in his lap once she felt pinching from his mouth. He swiftly gripped her thigh to hold her steady as he continued to peck at her breasts.

“Seto!” She whined in protest, pushing her palms against his chest to back up away from him. When he was finished leaving his mark he stared up at her with a teasing smirk.

Cameron frowned deeply, touching her bare chest and glanced down at the large bruise that was now on the side of her breast.

“I knew you were going to leave a hickey!” She sulked, lifting her breast up to get a better look at it.

“It’s an eye for an eye,” He held each side of her hips and rubbed slowly, leaning back close to her to kiss her neck once more.

Cameron relaxed back against him, wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders. Her head found its way back against his chest where she was most comfortable. Seto’s switch was still turned on as he continued to graze her torso with kisses hungrily. His diligent fingers found their way to the waistband of her shorts. The small brunette’s muscles tensed.

“Seto, I don’t think I can continue,” She whispered out, kissing his lips before separating herself from his lap.

He stared at her peculiar. Perplexed by her sudden mood swing. Unhappy with this answer he had no issue with prying. “May I ask why?”

The brunette pulled her knees up to her chest in defeat, looking towards the side away from her husband. “I’m just not ready Seto,” She said meekly.

“Why so sudden though? Weren’t you enjoying it? Haven’t I established that I don’t any intentions of hurting you?” He brought his hand to his chest feeling quite insulted by this woman.

“I was enjoying it!--”

“Then why do you deny me?” His tone sharp as ever.

“Why are you getting upset! This isn’t easy for me Seto! Why do you think it has something to do with you!”

“Because I feel insulted that you’re putting me in the same category as those scumbags who mistreated you before me! That’s why! You shouldn’t have to feel afraid in my arms! I’m not here to use you!”

“Leave!” Cameron pointed to the door.

“Excuse me?” He narrowed his eyes at her, the audacity of her.

“If you have respect for me then stop making this a big deal,” She pulled the covers over her body and glared at him.

Seto sat still, calculating her true motives tonight. He slowly stood up. 

“It’s such a disgrace that I fight for trust and get pushed aside by a decrepit toy from your ex that regrets never getting a chance to sleep with you!” He was referring to Aidan the rabbit still sitting on the dresser to the of the bed against the wall. Seto had not forgotten it. The pink monstrosity had caught his eye a couple of times while he was grazing his wife’s body.

“I said leave Seto!” She crawled to the other side of the bed where the brutal steely-eyed CEO was laying and picked up the silicone ice-pack and threw it at him.

Seto caught it with ease, making his way out and slammed the door behind him.

 

1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Young, wild, American  
> Some asshole broke me in  
> Wrecked all my innocence  
> I'm not flawless, but I gotta diamond heart  
> Good thing I know what I'm worth  
> Want a good thing, put the money down first"
> 
> Diamond Heart - Lady Gaga <3


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I straight up realized that my chapters are so short I might end up with like 100 chapters. I was debating on adding more scenes to one page instead of creating a sh*t tone of chapters? I don't know how I feel about that because I like making things super long especially if the scene changes so drastically. I dunno. Do you guys mind short scenes with a lot of chapters? Because I'm so used to writing in that format. Sorrynotsorry about that. 
> 
> There are a few tropes for Kaiba involving sexuality. First one of him being ace/demi/asexual and super vanilla. While the other one, which is obviously the more popular one of him being overly sexualized and kinky as f*ck. Which to be fair I can support both teams on this. But me personally, and how I interpret Kaiba is that he's not a playboy because he doesn't want to ruin the image of Kaiba Corp. That and again, how I portray the snob is that he really couldn't be bothered with foolish things as he's too involved with his business. I did, however, make Kaiba worldly enough to where he has experience with women. I mean--He's Seto f*cking Kaiba! I'm sure his young cockier self took advantage of the fact that women flocked to him.

Cameron made herself comfortable laying down on her belly under the covers and passing time on her tablet that was plugged into the wall by her bedside. She had contacted Ben through a messenger to thank him for the kind gifts. A conversation through text went back and forth for a while between them, catching up with each other before she drifted off to sleep with her cheek rested against the screen of the tablet. A few hours passed before she awoke again. Shifting positions under her blanket, Cameron blinked slowly and squinted in confusion. She picked up her tablet and tapped at it to turn it back on. The time was 1 am. Surprised at her own exhaustion and too alert to try to go back to bed she decided to pull the covers off her. As she stood she picked up her clothing from the floor where it still was from being thrown earlier. She maneuvered the hoodie over her head as she walked out on the balcony. Her eyes drooped, laying her arms on the top of the railing of the steel edge.

Contemplating a few minutes regarding the events that unfolded during the night. And whether or not she was guilty of the negative feedback that had happened. The only thing that was preoccupying her mind was that she missed her husband. She was still unsure if the feeling of loneliness was from typical human nature of yearning for another's company or if it was because she truly loved him. A heavy sigh escaped the brunette, slumping her chin onto her forearm. Before she decided to traipse around the manor for the brooding CEO she spotted a glimpse of the top of Seto's head from the back garden. She squinted, stretching her head downwards more to make sure she was seeing correctly. It was unusual to see Seto outside like that. He seemed to be sitting on the stone patio deck. Her curiosity alone was enough to make the decision to go bother him.

To save time Cameron decided to take the elevator down to the first floor of the mansion. She slipped her bunny slippers onto her feet that were left in the living room as she took a shortcut through the lavish dining room and past part of the kitchen to open the french doors that lead out to the patio. Seto picked his head up immediately when the door was heard opening. Glasses framed his face as he seated at the glass table, dressed down in his usual bedclothes with a track hoodie zipped up over his shirt. A laptop in front of him along with a bottle of scotch was a few inches away with a half a glass topped with ice next to the mouse.

"You're still up?" She asked hushed, stepping outside with arms crossed.

"I was asleep. I woke up a few minutes ago," He mumbled, he stared back at the screen as he clicked away at a few keys.

"Oh," She stood by the side of his chair and watched him intently a moment. Her husband's face was drawn from exhaustion. His deep blue eyes were half-lidded with a displeased look plastered on his face.

"Did you have a nightmare?" She took a step closer, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she kept her arms tightly crossed to her chest.

His fingers on the keys slowly came to a halt, raising his hand up to pull his glasses off and tossed them aside on the table, rubbing his hand down his face with a sigh.

"Why did you decide to come down here and interrupt me, Cameron?" He asked in annoyance, hand still placed over his mouth.

She frowned, glancing away to avoid his critical eyes before speaking. "What was your nightmare about?" She whispered, knowing the backlash she'd get to the question.

Seto ignored her question, picking up his glass of scotch and down the last sip and clanged it back down against the table.

"Go back to bed. I have programming to finish here," He told her dryly, lowering his head down to pinch the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tightly.

Cameron stretched her arm over and grabbed the back of his chair. "Was it about Atem?" His piercing glare caused her hand to pull snapback away from him.

"Listen, Cameron, if I thought I needed a therapist I'd paid for one," He scoffed at her, placing his glasses back on his face.

Her brows flustered together and glared back. "I'm not trying to be your therapist jackass! I'm trying to be your wife!"

Her explanation only earned a sarcastic chuckle from her husband. "After what happened tonight now you want to play the role of doting wife? Go back to bed," He made a shooing motion towards her with his hand.

"You're just being a distraction," He turned back to his laptop and began typing again.

Cameron stared hard. "You're being rotten to me because I didn't fuck you. Isn't it?" She hissed out.

He continued to type away, slowing his fingers once more staying deep in thought before answering. A smirk slowly appeared on his lips.

"Do you honestly think I let something insignificant as that overpower my life? Just because I'm a man doesn't mean I act like a starved animal like the lowlifes you've surrendered to," He kept his eyes on the screen before glaring back at her.

A twitch of anger came over Cameron. Knowing better she turned sharply back towards the door and walked inside before the animosity she felt bubbling up became another violent outburst.

\--

A few hours later the couple reunited in the kitchen for an eerily quiet breakfast. Both refusing to talk to each other as they were still agitated from lack of sleep and their last encounter. Despite the hostility, both silently kept their pact on keeping eating arrangements together. Seto went for a more traditional breakfast. Wanting to start off the day right eatinf light to make up for the heavy disgusting Western food from last night's dinner. The menu for this morning was Miso soup, natto topped on top of a small bowl of rice and grilled mackerel. His black coffee was the real deal breaker of the meal. He was already on his second cup. Needing all support from the caffeine he could get as he didn't get a wink of sleep at all. Unlike her husband, Cameron didn't enjoy the choice of food. Sticking with her old standby oatmeal and settling for a plate of tamagoyaki which she shared with Seto. Along with Seto letting his difficult wife pick at the pieces of tofu from his soup.

"Good morning, darling! I hope you slept well! Hope I wasn't too much of an animal!" Mokuba broke the silent feud between his brother and sister-in-law with a quote from Wayne's World as he waltzed into the kitchen with a grin.

Cameron turned her head in surprise, not expecting to see the younger Kaiba this morning.

"Morning Mokuba, I didn't even know you came home last night," She spoke softly, sipping at her cup of tea.

"That's 'cause I came home late. You were most likely in bed by the time I got back," He said, plucking a herbal tea packet from the wooden box Cameron left out on the countertop. He poured hot water into a mug from the pink poka-dot kettle and let his tea bag steep before turning back around to face the nook table where the rest of his family was seated.

"Holy shit Seto, what happened to your face?" Mokuba's mouth gaped open, holding the mug close to his lips as he stared at his brother in shock, pressing his back into the corner of the counter.

Cameron shot her head up from her bowl of oatmeal, staring at Mokuba straight ahead in panic as her eyes shifted towards Seto. The bad night's sleep made them lag behind along with being too engrossed in discontent she had completely forgotten to take the time to cover-up her husband's bruise. That was now becoming more of a deeper purple color than the light red that it was the day before.

Seto kept cool, acting unbothered by the observation as he calmly set his chopsticks down and touched the side of his jaw. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot," He lied.

"A few nights ago Cameron and I were arguing and she followed me into the gym when I was on the elliptical. I became so heated that when I decided to get off I tripped and smashed my face the top of the machine," He explained the hoax story cooly to his brother, reaching his arm over Cameron to pick up a piece of tamagoyaki in front of her.

Cameron was astonished by the Older Kaiba's fast fabrication. Seto must have taken a good amount of thought about an excuse long before his wife even asked if Mokuba noticed it. It shouldn't be that big of a shock the CEO of Kaiba Corp was quick with embellishing a lie. It was a needed accessory to survive the dog eat dog world he was apart of.

Needless to say, Mokuba stared at his older brother stumped, taking a long slow sip of his tea before he opened his mouth in question again. He had no reason not to believe Seto. There was no reason for him to lie. Even though a case of the agile older Kaiba being clumsy and falling was hard to believe.

"Geez guys, can't you see that you're brutal fights really need to simmer down? If you guys don't cool it one of you is seriously going to get hurt," He frowned deeply, accepting the sketchy explanation for what it's worth.

"I know Mokuba. We've already discussed it. Didn't we Cameron?" Seto's tone was dark as he glanced down at Cameron. The small brunette nodded quickly, looking like a deer in headlights.

"Yeah, trust me. I already expressed my grievances about this. I actually feel pretty terrible about the whole thing. I didn't mean to have Seto get a bruise," She kept her chin lowered, catching eyes with Mokuba who expressed the same empathetic gaze.

"Alright, enough of that nonsense," Seto abruptly cut in, neatly wiping his mouth with his napkin and set it on top of the empty plates stacked on top of each other.

"Cameron, I'm going to get dressed. After I'm finished. Do that thing you do with the fountain so this unsightly bruise isn't visible to the public," He told her, standing up and walking out of the kitchen.

"Of course Seto," She answered him lowly, watching him leave the room before finding Mokuba back in her vision again as he sat down across from her with a bowl of cereal.

\--

The make-up routine in the morning had almost became a ritual at this point. The couple stayed civil to each other while the work had to be done. Seto was seated at the foot of his bed dressed in his signature white suit, eyes closed as Cameron finished up on his face. When she stepped back he reopened them.

"Why did you lie to Mokuba like that?" She asked in almost a whisper, cleaning the tip of her brush with a baby wipe before setting it back in her bag.

He tilted his head, tired eyes focusing on her stance. "There's no need for him to think badly of you," He answered, leaning his body back in his hands.

She bit the bottom of her lip, resting the small pouch under her arm. "You think he'd hate me if he found out I hit you?" Worry was clear in her voice.

"He wouldn't hate you. But it'd definitely concern him more if he knew what actually happened. And I don't want our issues and your unruly behavior to distress him," He told her calmly as he stood and fixed the cuffs of his blazer.

The jabbed insult went right over her head as that was the least important thing to Cameron. The fact that Seto took consideration to outright lie to make sure Mokuba didn't think illy of her was such a breath of fresh air. All she ever heard in this household was how important the Kaiba brothers bond was. And how nothing else in the world mattered more to Seto than Mokuba. In a way, his reason for lying was a backhanded compliment. It was to make Cameron look innocent in the situation even though she was the red-handed culprit but the excuse for her bad behavior was so Mokuba's trust in her wasn't damaged. Seto knew Mokuba was fond of Cameron. Therefore he didn't want to disappoint his younger brother.

"Thank you, Seto," Cameron mused.

"Please, don't start your moping already," He let out a frustrated sigh and brought her into his arms giving her a half-hearted hug to reassure her.

\--

The rest of the day went as normally planned. The brothers went to work at Kaiba Corp as Cameron spent half her day in the study with a tutor and soon spent the rest of the afternoon by herself as she caught up on some business related paperwork along with practicing her Japanese. During the duration of the day she had contacted Yugi through text, receiving his number from Mokuba before he left for work this morning. She had triumphantly gotten the King of Games agree to meet up with her after his work was finished. Yugi worked 9-5 hours. Meaning that she had two hours to herself before Seto came home from work as he often stayed extra hours at the company with an exclusive crew depending on what projects were required for the team to do. To keep the peace Cameron made the attempt to text Seto and invite him to join them knowing that he'd decline after she mentioned the presence of Jounouchi.

After a bit of time passed and enough studying was done. Cameron decided to take a break. Making herself a small lunch as she had small talk with some of the help, being quite friendly to the younger employees, one of them being Kaito who she teased often. She headed upstairs, checking her phone seeing that she had received a digital copy of the other group photo that was taken on the cruise ship from Ben. She printed it out from Mokuba's desktop in his room as his computer was more equipped with making a nicer quality photo. She headed off to her room in search of a spare frame that might be found in her closet. She spent the time framing the extra photo she printed out to gift to Jounouchi as the original photo was going to Yugi. She placed both frames in a leftover purple bag she had from Mokuba's birthday and hid the gifts with white tissue paper. At this point, Cameron's mood at lifted up for the better. Until she her dresser caught the side of her eye and she noticed that Aidan the pink bunny was missing from his rightful place.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING???? Long ass chapter! Instead of writing 4 little scenes. I combined multiple scenes so I don't end up with 1000 chapters. :) This was fueled by dry cereal and multiple Yugioh playlists. I had scoured depts of the internet to find actual popular karaoke songs popular in Japan. Which was surprisingly harder than it seems? I have like--seven ideas in mind for writing this. I used LOT of head-cannons I absolutely LOVE. 
> 
> Also, poked a little fun at the fact Yugi and Cam look younger cause they are short. As for Yugi's height, I was considering it to be 5'6? Because he does have a growth spurt during the season. 
> 
> A lot of my inspirations for Yugi come from multiple sources. But this artist is one of my favorites! --> http://yu-gi-ow.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art I really suggest you check out their art. It's so good! I live for it! I've also become obsessed with Peachshipping? Anzu and Yugi's love gives me so much joy!

Instead of getting engulfed in her own fury Cameron took her husband’s advice for a change and tried to cool her temper by just ignoring the disappearing rabbit. She knew Seto took it. He had something to do with it. He made it plain and clear that he resented the stuffed animal because it was connected to Ben. Communication was so strained in their relationship that there was no point in texting or calling him to ask where Aidan was. It would only cause a fight. So, the small woman did what she thought was best and decided to avoid any messages she might receive from her husband. It seems that every time she was warming back up to him. Seto had to try to prove his rank against her again and ruin their chemistry.

Her smartphone’s home screen lit up with a buzz making Cameron turned from her closet as she dressed. Figuring that it’d be Yugi telling her that he just got out of work only to have her mood dampened by ‘Old Cabbage Husband’ popping up on her screen with a short message answering her back with a

_‘maybe’_

The sense of relief she was now gone. In Seto’s logic maybe always means no. Even if this was the case what if he maybe turns out to be a yes this time. She was now fully regretting her decision of inviting him to spend time with her, Yugi and Jounouchi. Last night had left a bad taste in both of their mouths that continued on to the morning. Seto hasn’t even given her a goodbye kiss before he left for work. That was not important now. Instead of texting back a passive aggressive message telling him not to even bother. Cameron kept herself under control and decided to ignore him. It was the best choice regardless not to ignite any potential fights.

She buttoned up and zipped her fitted jeans and tucked in a plain black boat-neck long sleeve shirt. A belt was added with only having a rich dark brown corduroy jacket lined with faux fur inside and around the collar be the only flare given to her outfit. This type of clothing was perfect for the weather change as the air was slowly becoming crisper in the fall. According to Seto, her style was still very Americanized. Which Cameron was never sure if that was a compliment or not. This was coming from a man who wore tacky jogging gear for casual wear. In other words, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Her phone flashed again, this time having Yugi pop up on her messenger. Informing him her that he was riding his bike back to his apartment and that in a few minutes he’d meet her at the train station to head downtown where Jounouchi was. He ended off his message with

_‘See you soon, be safe! :)’_

That kid was a treasure from heaven. Mokuba and Yugi were the closest to Seto and compared to the cynical CEO both were so genuine and good-hearted. It wasn’t that Cameron thought her husband was an evil man. Quite the contrary, Cameron knew that the view Seto had on the world was programmed into him by lack of trust. She knew that feeling very well. And in many ways she had the same undesirable traits she accused her husband of having. Perhaps, she should be the one taking caution to throwing stones through glass houses.

\--

Before leaving the mansion Cameron safely placed the purple paper bag that contained the framed photos into her messenger bag and swung it over her shoulder. She picked up her black suede ankle boots with a high chunky heel that Mokuba always teased her for wearing because of the buckles that served no purpose but for a style that was attached to the top line of her shoes. She decided to skip calling for a limousine after the ordeal the last driver had to go through and went for the better option of calling a taxi instead. On the ride to the train station, a steady stream of texts was received back and forth between Yugi and Cameron. There was no difficulty finding her new found friend thanks to the for his detailed directions to his whereabouts in the front entrance of the station.

Yugi must have changed when he brought his bike home. He wasn’t dressed in a suit. Instead, he wore a very intricate looking leather jacket loaded with zippers and metal studs that covered the large folds of the collar. A buckle secured the front of the bottom of the jacket which was zipped all the way up only showing the neckline of what seemed to be a lavender dress shirt. Most likely the same top he wore to work. A leather choker was buckled around his neck. His skinny legs covered in tight chic looking pants with a couple of small zippers at the knee of it and you guessed it, more belts. One worn normally through the belt loops and the other more loose-fitted as it hung tilted against his hips. In usual fashion, his hair was spiked up. He waved to Cameron once he saw he tread over to him.

“Wow, Yugi! Looking sharp as ever!” Cameron let out a laugh, grinning at the man in front of her. She didn’t necessarily share a common taste in fashion with her husband’s friend but she certainly respected the extra mile he put into his appearance.

“Heh, you really think so?” He smiled back as a shy chuckle escaped him, running his fingers upwards through his hair to make sure his dyed purple locks stayed upright.

“Yeah, where’s Jou? Is he not coming?” She took a step closer to Yugi to avoid getting pushed around by the crowds walking past.

“He’s coming. He’s still at work. I figured we can take the train downtown as planned and stop by his job since his shift ends pretty soon,” Yugi explained, glancing down at the time on his phone.

“And we can go around the shops and stuff while we’re out. If that’s okay with you?” He looked away from his screen and back up at her pleasantly.

“Oh, of course! I have no problem with that. Where does Jou work?” She asked, starting to walk beside him as they headed to the train depot. Yugi’s height did not compare to Seto’s soaring stature. The flamboyant man’s small frame made him look smaller than he actually was. Being a good few inches taller than Cameron she actually felt more comfortable walking alongside him than her husband. As she didn’t feel so out of place.

“Joey works a few jobs actually. They are all restaurant related. He’s bartending tonight though,” He answered her, stopping a few feet from the train tracks and stuck his hands into the pockets of his jacket to keep warm.

Cameron nodded in response. It was interesting how much more colorful her husband’s friends. Or in his words ‘acquaintances’ were compared to him that was so one-note. He had Yugi who was working for him and lived with two other guys and Jounouchi who had to work more than one job to survive. It was quite eye-opening for Cameron as she hasn’t lived the other side in years. It was unsettling that she had almost forgotten how normal people lived since Seto had become permanent in her life.

\--

The ride towards downtown was enjoyable. The train wasn’t packed for first few minutes they boarded. Yugi showed Cameron silly cat memes along with some duel monster ones she might understand. Including a picture of the Pot of Greed with the megusta meme face photoshopped onto it.

“Ryou sent me this one. It became one of my favorites,” he explained, flicking through a few other pictures he had saved. Cameron caught a glimpse of a selfie of Anzu dressed in a gingham patterned outfit posing cutely with pink heart-shaped sunglasses on.

“You should have invited Ryou and Malik. It would have been fun with more people,” She suggested, holding her bag in his lap tightly against her chest.

Yugi paused, scanning through his messages from Jounouchi before answering. “Yeah, it would be,” He agreed with uncertainty before looking back up at small woman beside him.

“Ryou works all night and sleeps in the day. And Malik--well, Malik and Jou don’t really hit it off because of past issues,” He gave a coy smile.

Cameron raised a brow at the comment. “Past issues? Okay Yugi, you’ve got my full attention. Now you have to tell me the reason!” She scooted in closer with a mischievous grin.

“Okay, okay! Just promise not to bring it up in front of either of them,” He told her softly.

Cameron nodded. “You have my word! Pinky promise!” She lifted her hand up and stuck up her pinky finger out towards him.

Yugi looked at her strangely, not knowing Western traits such as this. “I’m sorry Cam. I don’t follow?” He cocked his head.

“Pinky promise. When you lock pinkies together it's supposed to seal the secret in stone,” She placed her hand closer to his face to tease.

“Oh! I never heard of that before!” He said, wrapping his bigger pinky around her little one.

She grinned, squeezing her pinky tightly against his as she shook her hand to seal the deal. “Now spill it,” She teased, slipping her hand away.

“Well, when we were younger Malik was a pretty nasty guy. He brainwashed Joey as an attempt to get back at Atem and break up me and Jou’s friendship,” He explained.

“Brainwash? What do you mean? Should I be worried about Malik? Because I’m not one for mind games,” She frowned, crossing her arms.

“No! Malik is fine now, trust me! That’s the reason why we all decided to share an apartment. All three of us have been affected by the millennium spirits. It was Ryou’s idea to live together. So we can overcome the obstacles we have with losing the spirits that we shared bodies with. That’s why I decided to leave home where my mom and grandpa are. I’ll have to go back eventually to take care of our game shop. But, as for Joey, he forgives Malik for toying with his mind. He doesn’t get along with Malik because of Mai.”

Cameron listened intently as Yugi spoke and found his bond with his friends endearing. She wondered if Seto could have benefitted in a situation like this. It was made obvious that Seto also struggled with the memories of Atem. He may not of have a spirit sharing his body but he had similar enough struggles shared with Yugi and his friends.

“Okay, this is getting really in depth here! Who the hell is Mai?” Cameron asked, scooting to the edge of her seat as she pulled her feet in from the middle of the ally for other passengers to walk by.

“Mai is Joey’s girlfriend. She suffers from depression. She’s a really great duelist but she constantly feels alone and she isolates herself a lot. She and Joey often split up but get back together. I think they’re meant for each other,” Yugi said, standing up slowly as the train starts coming to a halt. He offered Cameron his hand for her to stand as well.

She grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled herself up from the seat, starting to walk towards the exit of the train with the spiky-haired kid right behind her.

\--

The streets of Domino City were packed with young people. The sky was so dark but all the blinding lights from the advertisements lit up all of downtown. Kaiba Corp’s brand name was one of the most noticeable ads to be displayed on digital billboards for their products along with posters hanging up in many of the windows of the shops. Gaining popularity with the Kaiba Corp merchandise.

Yugi had told Cameron he had lived here all his life and knew the city like the back of his hand. Feeling much at ease to this the small brunette stayed close to the King of Games side. She kept in mind of the big todo her husband made about being a small foreign woman alone at night. They stopped in front of an industrial looking nightclub building. ‘CHEERS’ gleamed on top of the building in neon blue and purple lights. Displaying the club’s name. There was a long line of trendy looking college kids trailing outwards towards the street and curved to the sidewalk. The bass music could be heard blasting outside the building. Sounding like the background tune to Urgent by Foreigner.

Yugi pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages, texting Jounouchi to tell him that they had arrived in front. Not getting a response back right away he frowned and looked over at Cameron.

“He must be busy. He’s not answering any of my messages. Should we wait in line?” Yugi asked, dialing the blond’s number and putting the phone to his ear.

“I mean if that’s the only choice sure. But, I don’t think he’s going to hear his phone over this loud music,” She sounded put out at the situation, starting to walk ahead of him to the line.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” He let out a sigh, letting the phone go to voicemail before hanging up and messaging Jounouchi again.

Cameron glanced in back of her to make sure Yugi was still behind as she went outside the line by the double doors that lead into the club. She approached the menacing looking bouncer who looked over at her small frame cock-eyed with a grimace.

“If you wanna get you gotta head in the back of the line,” He stared her down and let off a horrid, rough cackle once Yugi became in clear view with her.

“Look at you! High school kids! Listen, I just kicked a couple of you guys out already. Go home why don’t ‘cha?” The beefy built bouncer let out another cackle.

“High schoolers?” Cameron questioned in disgust and turned, gawking at Yugi who looked just as confused as she was. He shrugged in response and piped up to the intimidating man.

“Sir, we’re far from high schoolers. If you want to see our IDs you’re welcome to,” He said, starting to dig through his pocket for his wallet.

Cameron crossed her arms in annoyance as Yugi pulled out his ID. The thought of using the Kaiba name to get into the club was tempting. But the risk of being bombarded by unwanted attention was the last thing she wanted. Plus, having Seto catch wind of nonsensical pubic dispute would only provoke negativity. She tilted her head, hearing Yugi’s phone ring as Jounouchi’s blond head popped up from behind the two.

“What the hell you guys doin’ in line!” He shouted over the music with his phone to his ear, attempting to call his eccentric friend back. He was dressed in the same black suit and tie he wore on the cruise ship and had a burning cigarette in his hand, taking a drag from it before flicking the ash off the head.

“Where have you been!” Cameron screeched at him in Japanese, stomping the heel of her boot down against the cracked pavement as she slapped his smartphone down away from his ear.

“Cam take it easy! It’s not that big of a deal!” Yugi said with a nervous smile. He was now turned the other way, away from the bouncer after he was snubbed.

“Aye! Watch it Primadonna! You ain’t my wife! Save your attitude for Kaiba why don’t ‘cha?” He flicked the butt of the cigarette to the curb, blowing a cloud of smoke out from between his lips as he stomped on the dying flame to help it burn out.

The name drop of Kaiba quickly stirred the attention of the people in line. Causing some to turn in the direction of the small group. Cameron facepalmed before grabbing both hands of Yugi and Jounouchi before dragging them away from the club before anybody recognize her. Jounouchi was the first to yank his arm away, standing in front of her making her come to a halt.

“What’s your problem!” He barked, glaring down at her.

Cameron let go of Yugi’s hand and glared back. “Do you want me to get in trouble?” She scoffed at him, motioning towards the crowd a few feet away from them.

“Trouble? Whadda you mean? Moneybags don’t want you out with us?” Jounouchi asked gruffly.

Yugi stepped in closer between them, looking over at Cameron in confusion. “Is that true Cam?” he asked, worrisome.

“What? Who cares what Seto thinks! What I mean by trouble is getting noticed by people I want to avoid!” She glanced behind her to make sure nobody was coming near before spinning around again.

“You want to avoid, huh?” Jounouchi started rubbing the tip of his chin with his fingers touching his five o’clock shadow that was starting to grow in.

“You means fans? I didn’t know you had admires Cam,” Yugi said, biting his tongue not realizing his wording.

“I didn’t mean it like that! I Just mean--”

“Yugi, you’re fine! I don’t have fans. Seto has fans. And I don’t want people to approach me. It’s awkward and I don’t like it. I’d rather just be left alone,” She confessed, starting to walk off with the two men.

“Man, you’re weird. You know how many duelist and shit, wanna be famous like that? But I gotta give you credit for wanting to lay low Cam,” Jounouchi added, stopping in front of a shop and picking up a large sun hat shoving it onto Cameron’s head. Making sure the ridge of the hat covered her face.

Cameron, smacked his hands away as she pulled the hat off her head as she smoothed the back of her long hair down.

“No thanks! I’m done using hats to hide!” She shot Yugi a look who was covering his mouth with his hand to hide his soft chuckle.

“What are you laughing at!” She hopped up, pushing the hat onto his head as payback. It made the shorter male step back in surprise with another laugh as Cameron shoved the ridge of the hat in front of his face making Jounouchi join in right away, pulling the hat further over his wild hair.

“Yeah! Hide that boyish face King of Games!” Cameron laughed, standing on her tiptoes helping hold the hat down. The cheap straw material of the hat broke over Yugi’s head making him lose balance on the chipped sidewalk and fall into Cameron causing her back to bump into Jounouchi’s chest. His strong grip broke their fall, pushing them back onto their feet.

I guess we should buy it now,” Yugi chimed in with a smile, picking the loose strands of straw off his head that stuck to the gel in his hair.

“I designate Cam cause she got all the money!” The blond blurted out, grabbing onto Cameron’s shoulders playfully and squeezed them before she swatted him away.

\--

The three continued their nightly adventure. Stopping at stores to mainly window shop, none of them being swayed enough to spend money. Expect Cameron who was the first one to crack as her attention was drawn to the lined up gashapon machines outside and bought a Bananya cat plush charm for her phone. Without any realization, Cameron took her more comfortable positioned in the background as the two friends chatted. She listened to them as she toyed with her new charm, connecting it to her phone which was turned off. To make sure that she didn’t see any of Seto’s messages she might receive.

Yugi asked Jounouchi how his Let’s Play channel was doing with him and Honda. Apparently, Jounouchi had an online following much like Mokuba with his podcast. He was part of the Let’s Play hype with his channel being titled The Nerd Herd a phrase coined by her husband unsurprisingly. Who was the least flattered by the blond’s choice to flip his insult into an online persona. Yugi had to give up his main position on the channel due to his new job working at Kaiba Corp and of course moving out of his grandpa’s home where most of their recording happened. It left Jounouchi in charge as he hoped he could become popular enough to become a professional gamer to pay his bills so he didn’t have to juggle the three jobs he already had.

“You should ask Mokuba to do a collaboration with you. I think he’d be happy to,” Cameron slowly interjected into the conversation again.

“Are you kiddin’! Mokuba is the best with that! With Yug’s help, they even got money bags to join us once for a game!” Jounouchi looked over Cameron way with a smirk.

“Are you serious? Wow, what bet did he lose?” Cameron asked, grin curving to her lips as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“None believe it or not. He agreed to play with us if he got to go against me,” Yugi explained, walking beside Cameron so she was in the middle as Jounouchi walked on the outer side of the sidewalk.

“Me and Moke collab a lot. He’s a really good kid,” The blond added, hands tucked in the pockets of his trailed trousers.

Cameron smiled at the compliment. “Yes, he is,” She agreed.

Yugi spun around as the three walked past a karaoke bar. “Hey guys, want to sing some karaoke? It’s been awhile,” He pointed to the flashing lights at a small building, glancing over at his taller friend with a smile.

“You’re right, wanna go singin’ Cam?” He patted the top of her head making the petite woman step away from him to hide behind Yugi.

“I’m up for whatever you guys want to do. I’m game,” She slipped away from Yugi and headed towards the building as the other two followed.

“Damn, she got that pushy attitude like the suit,” Jounouchi scoffed into Yugi’s ear.

Cameron snapped her head around, grabbing the handle of the door with a confident smirk. “You think I’m pompous? You haven’t seen nothing yet commoner,” Her words came out slick, disappearing inside first as she pushed open the door wide for the other two. Leaving them behind.

Jounouchi teeth gritted his eyes narrowing at her. “I’ll show you, commoner!”

“I think she likes pulling your leg Joey,” Yugi smiled, watching Cameron and followed behind her.

\--

They ordered a room at the front desk for two hours as they agreed an all-day pass would be too much and both men had to work the next day. Jounouchi was the who took the key in search for the room number. Yugi and Cameron lagged behind a bit as they engaged in inane chatter, looking for the correct number with the blond. After finding room 32. Jounouchi unlocked the door and pushed it open. It was a rather small room with a red vinyl sofa pushed against the wall and a small square table centered in the middle making it a bit more spacious. Menus, two tambourines, and a little touch screen computer were on the table. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall under a silver stereo with the two microphones for singing set on top of it. A phone was hung up on the wall to call in for drinks and food. Two coat hangers were nailed to the wall.

“Who wants to order food! I’m starvin’!” Jounouchi squawked out, tossing the keys aside by the menus. He picked up a microphone and nodded to Yugi before throwing it over to him.

Yugi quickly finished hanging up his jacket and caught the mic in haste. “You’re always hungry Jou,” He said in jest, gently handing the microphone to Cameron after she was done hanging up her own jacket.

“I’ll call for drinks. What do you want to eat Joey?” Yugi asked, picking up the phone from the receiver from the wall.

“Everything!” He said, plopped onto the couch with Cameron next to him as he flipped through the menu.

“Haha, very funny,” Yugi said dryly, letting the phone hang loosely in his hand.

“How about we just start off with drinks first?” Cameron suggested, looking over the same menu with Jounouchi.

“Beer! I want beer!” Jounouchi called out first.

“And soda, and onion rings. With some fried shrimp. And maybe ramen? You payin’ right Cam?” He grinned at her as he joked, keeping wishful thinking.

Cameron looked at him unimpressed, crossing her arms. “You do realize that just because my husband is Seto Kaiba doesn’t necessarily mean that I have money to blow right?”

It was true, Cameron preferred using her own money that she had saved since she left America. It’d be a lie if she said she was completely independent. As she wasn’t currently doing nursing here in Japan. Studying for Kaiba Corp was more important to Seto. He didn’t mind taking care of her since she was now his wife. He did make it noted not to spoil her either. It was made clear that she was not to be spoiled and not to use everything given to her as play money. Which, Cameron already was accustomed to with her own family. She was brought up well off but was not pampered by her parents. She and her siblings were expected to pull their weight and live independently. This was also another reason why she didn’t like spending her husband’s money when she didn’t earn it.

The three had a small discussion to split the bill evenly. Yugi called the front desk and politely ordered off the menu while Cameron and Jounouchi scanned through the playlist of songs on the little touch screen on the table. The two played rock, paper scissors to see who picked the first song. Cameron won the first round picking a generic American pop song that was popular enough for her to Japanese comrades to know.

\--

After their first round of drinks and a handful of songs later a knock came from the door. Yugi sat on the far right with microphone in hand singing along to Face Down by Arashi as the live performance of the boy band played on the TV with the lyrics scrolling past in highlighted letters as Jounouchi sat in the middle holding the other mic with Cameron sitting on the end, pressing close to him.Practically hanging over the blond’s shoulder as she tried singing along into the same mic with tambourine shaking in her hands to the beat of the song.

“Ayyyye!~ Our drinks are here! Cam, can you get ‘em?” Jounouchi asked between lyrics, screeching the end of each sentence.

Cameron nodded, slipping off the couch with no fuss seeing that she was closest one to the door.

Swinging the door wide opened she was greeted to none other by her husband’s cold blue eyes. It caused Cameron’s face to drop in grief. Just as unimpressed to see him as he was of her.

“Aw, Cameron. Don’t look so disappointed,” He cooed to her sarcastically, gently handing her the platter of drinks they ordered from the front desk. Seto presence didn’t come unnoticed as Jounouchi was the first one to open his mouth when the tall framed CEO stepped into the room, slipping off his blazer.

“Damn Cam! Why’d you invite the suit for!” He scoffed, laying his mic down on his lap.

“Technically, I didn’t. Don’t get mad at me,” She said, walking over carefully with their drinks.

Yugi quickly stretched his body over to push the empty glasses and dishes out of the way so Cameron had space to place the drinks on.

“Hate to break it to you, Joey. But I sort of did,” He smiled up at his friend who rolled his eyes so far back his pupils disappeared only showing white.

“Come on now mongrel. Didn’t your mother teach you not to do that? Your face will stick that way,” Seto sneered at him, folding his blazer and laying it on a spare chair where his wife’s bag was set.

“Don’t start Seto,” Cameron butted in before Jounouchi could snap back with a quip. She placed the tray on the table as Yugi helped her take the glasses and set them aside.

“Nah, my mother taught me how to treat people. She wasn’t too worried about how my face looked,” Jounouchi managed to squeeze in as he picked up his glass of Mitsuya Cider, taking a break from the liquor.

“Seto asked me if I was with you. And I told him we were at the karaoke bar. I hope you don’t mind?” Yugi spoke to Cameron, watching her crawl back onto the couch back next Jounouchi. Seto waited for his wife to get comfortable before sitting down at the very end.

“No, I don’t mind,” She lied using a sickly sweet tone. She did very much mind. A night away from Seto was starting to be a wonderful thing up until now.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Seto took a hold of her wrist lightly and leaned in close to her face, casting judgment with his eyes.

Cameron only managed to give him a quick glance as she spoke. “My phone died. I couldn’t answer,” She told him matter-a-factly with a shrug and leaned over pick up her cranberry colored drink and sipped through the straw.

He knew she was lying, instead of bringing attention to their feud he kept quiet, pulling his grip away from her and rested his back into the couch cushions as he crossed his arms with a scowl.

Cameron took another sip of her tall glass. “I think they forgot to add the red wine to my drink?” She said, taking one last sip before setting her glass back down on the table.

“When I offered to bring the drinks I knew the fruity one was yours. I told them not to bother with the alcohol,” Seto admitted cooly.

Cameron shot him a glare, frowning deeply. “Why? I’m no lush!” She hissed at him.

“I’m actually insulted by that. Why would you do that? You don’t think I’m responsible enough?” She turned her body away from Jounouchi to keep a ready stare match with her husband.

“Man Kaiba, why you gotta be such a wet blanket for? Come here Cam, you can have a sip of my beer!” Jounouchi picked up a glass that had a quarter of beer left.

“Stay out of this you idiot,” Seto pushed the blond’s hand away and turned his attention back to his wife.

“No, it’s because you’re very small and I know you don’t hold your alcohol well. I don’t want you drinking. Especially since I have to leave shortly,” He scolded.

“Hey, Kaiba! Want to pick the next song?” Yugi broke through the ruckus, holding his microphone out to his stone-faced friend.

Seto took the microphone unenthusiastically. “Would you like to pick the next song princess?”

Cameron frowned deeply, biting her tongue keeping herself from insulting him. “No thanks. You can sing with Jou. I’ll use the other mic with Yugi,” She said snatching the spare microphone from Jounouchi and began to crawl over the blond to sit on the other side of the couch.

Before she could reach Yugi.Seto grabbed onto her upper arm and pulled her from hovering over Jounouchi lap. Dragging his wife back to his side.

“I’m not sharing mics with the mutt,” He hissed through his teeth, quietly enough for only her to hear.

Cameron stared at Seto with contempt. “Let go of my arm,” She murmured back, yanking herself away with ease.

The couple locked eyes in a glare, seething in silence for a moment. As the two other men in the room watched on. Jounouchi shook his head in disbelief, snapping his fingers in the middle of their heads.

“Aye! I don’t know exactly what’s goin’ on here. But I don’t like it. Pick a damn song, rich boy. Or get out. You’re ruining our fun!” Jounouchi crossed his arms, watching the two in question.

Cameron huffed, turning her head away from Seto as she passed the mic back to Yugi and scrolled through the touch screen to pick a song. She decided to type in the song that Mokuba always liked to end karaoke night with. The guitar riff from Monster Dance by Keytalk started playing with the bass from the drums joining in. Recognizing the song Seto smirked at his wife’s choice.

“Alright, Cam! Nice pick! I love this song!” Yugi gleamed with excitement putting the mic close to his mouth getting ready to sing along.

“You’re so predictable Cameron I swear,” Seto kept his cool expression, looking uninterested at first with Jounouchi clearly ready to snatch the microphone away from him.

As soon as the first set of lyrics came across the TV Yugi recited the first lines. With Seto leading right behind to the second chorus. Cameron knew her husband liked this song because of the many weekends she spent with the Kaiba brothers in karaoke bars. It’s where she learned that Seto had a lovely singing voice. In fact, so did Mokuba. The brothers must have good genes. While the two former rivals sang the lead parts together the brunette lightened back up with the help of the annoying blonde, banging the tambourine in her ear. Both screaming “Monster dance!” and “Hey, hey, hey!” as that was the most repetitive lyric in the song. Their bouncing around the couch caused much irritation to Seto, catching eyes with Cameron only having her continue her comical gyrations, joining tambourines with Jounouchi.

The song ended with everybody set back in a relatively better mood. The group passed the next song choice off to Jounouchi who hasn’t had a song pick in a long while. Feeling in a risky mood he chose a song blindly ending up with a Whitney Houston classic. Halfway through the song the woman’s powerful soothing voice was only over shouted by unflattering, out of tune singing. Once the chorus hit the iconic “I will always love you!” had resorted into a long high pitched howl from the blond’s mouth. It brought Cameron to tears from laughing so hard. She’d never admit it to Seto but she had already stolen a few sips from a beer or two before her husband decided to intrude on her fun. She rested her hands on her arms with her face downwards into the table, still hysterical.

Yugi was also in stitches. As he laughed a bit harder when Jounouchi started exaggerating his howling with some cartoonish sounding barking. Most likely to get on Seto’s nerves. And it was working as the tired CEO stayed stiff in the corner of the couch with his cold expression never leaving his face. He had Cameron’s fruit cocktail drink in hand as he took a sip of it before setting it back down. A cellphone jingle began to ring, barely being heard over Jounouchi’s falsetto singing.

Yugi caught his breath from his hysterical laughter, perking up as he watched Seto walking towards the door.

“Are you leaving Kaiba?” He asked in concern, scooting to the edge of his seat.

Cameron lifted her head from the table, slouching upright with her attention focusing back on her husband. He gave a rushed shooing gesture to Yugi, an attempt to brush him off as he spoke quietly into his phone while he stepped out the door. Closing it behind him.

“Yo, is he leavin’?” Jounouchi asked softly, voice sounding a bit scratchy from straining his voice.

“I hope,” Cameron griped quietly, grabbing onto the glass of beer that was offered to her earlier and sipped the rest of it fast. Wiping her mouth afterward using her sleeve.

She quickly pushed the empty glass aside, once her husband stepped back in with dull eyes on her.

“I must leave. My idiot support group can’t figure anything out on their own,” He huffed in exasperation as he plucked his blazer up from the chair and slipped it back on.

“Come, gather your things I’ll take you home before I head back to work,” He told her calmly, turning back to the door.

“No,” She answered back bluntly, sitting on her knees and her arm rested on the back of the couch.

“What?” Seto grumbled, turning his head with a sharp stare.

“She said she ain’t ready to go home. Beat it suit!” Jounouchi scoffed out.

As usual, Yugi intervened with more of a just approach since the other two were quick to argue. “Don’t worry Kaiba. Me and Jou will make sure Cam gets home safe. I promise,” His gentle smile sealed the deal for him as Seto stared at Yugi for a good minute before answering.

“Very well then. I’ll be expecting you home in an hour Cameron. Don’t let the mutt talk you into anything else,” Seto scolded, fixing the collar of his shirt.

“Why don’t ‘cha just get lost already!” The blond barked out, wrapping an arm around Cameron’s small shoulder and pulled her to his side and stuck his tongue out at the rigid CEO.

The act was only received with a piercing glare. “And turn your phone back on,” Was the last order he left for his wife, walking out the door with a sudden slam.

A quietness soaked into the atmosphere with the three facing the direction of the door all a bit dumbfounded.

“I’d thought he’d never leave!” Jounouchi groaned, pushing Cameron into the very edge of the sofa so he could spread his body over the cushions, laying half his weight onto Yugi. Making the smaller man recline more into the arm of the sofa.

“We should get going soon. It’s getting late,” He added, looking over his phone at the time.

Cameron rolled her eyes, playfully pushing the blond’s feet away from her as she followed her husband’s orders and turned her phone back on.

“Yeah, maybe,” she paused in thought as her bag caught her view from the corner of her eye.

“Oh! Before I forget! I have something for you guys!” She uttered out, tossing her phone aside having it smack Jounouchi in the stomach as she leaned over the arm of the sofa and grabbed her bag over by the straps and unclipped the front.

“Gifts? For real?” Jounouchi raised a brow, lifting up her phone to look at her lock screen that was a photo of a toddler boy holding a bundle of fuzzy chicks in his little arms. His hair was blond and messy and grin toothless in the front.

“Gifts?” Yugi pressed a hand onto his friend’s shoulder to lean closer towards Cameron, trying to get a better look at her bag.

“It’s nothing major. I just thought you’d guys would like to have these,” She said, pulling out the purple paper bag and snatched her phone away from Jounouchi to hand the bag over to Yugi.

“My friend Ben mailed me photos. I asked for the print out just for Jou. I thought he’d enjoy it,” She smiled, tucking her phone into her bag.

At this time Jounouchi had sat back up, gawking into the bag as Yugi pulled out the tissue paper and gently pulled out the first picture which had the group shot of all of them at night. Jounouchi cleverly giving Seto bunny ears. “I can see which one is for Joey,” Yugi chuckled, handing the frame over to his friend.

“Aw damn! Cam, you shouldn’t have!” The blond grinned, looking at the picture as Yugi looked over his photo that was the original group shot of them in the morning when they were playing duel monsters at the table during brunch.

“This was really nice of you Cam. You didn’t have to do this, thank you,” Yugi ran his finger across the glass of the frame and looked up her with a smile.

“Don’t thank me. I wanted to give you guys something that showed my appreciation. I was thinking what you told me a few days ago Yugi, about how friends become family. And to me, especially since I only have Seto and Mokuba here. It means a lot. I’d like to consider you guys apart of my family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bananya is a really cute kitty mascot for a short series of cartoons. He's has a cat head and a banana body.
> 
> The little blond boy on Cam's phone is her nephew Stewert.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome back to my fic! Where everybody is acting petty and there's a ton of drunken man-handling of one another! I honestly have no idea what's going to happen next. I mean--I sort of doing. But not an exact plan mapped out. I feel so stupid because I realized after a little Yugioh research of the Japanese to Western voice actors that Joey would most likely have a heavy Kansai accent. Because his 4kids version has the Brooklyn one. I find that really interesting. 
> 
> All of Cam's insecurities seem to be bubbling up finally. Along with other issues that need to be addressed. 
> 
> The song that seems the most fitting for this chapter is Hands all over by Maroon 5 (One of my favorite songs actually) Hope to see you guys soon!
> 
> Cheers! Jess xoxo

The uncontrollable giggling from a woman was heard echoing through the cold barren walls of the Kaiba mansion. Cameron had resorted to becoming an unraveled mess of laughter on the floor, after bending over to unbuckle her boots to take them off. She sloppily slid down the gold embroidered wallpaper of the mudroom to help catch her fall only failing her attempt as her shoulder slid against the wall having her stumble to her knees having one half of her shoe off her small foot. Luckily, she was not alone as Jounouchi and Yugi were still present by her side. As the more eccentric friend kept his word to Seto, making sure his wife had gotten home safely.

"Geez," Jounouchi murmured through his teeth, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I can see why rich boy told her not to drink. She's a friggin' lightweight!" He squawked out, throwing his arms out in the air and stepped closer near Cameron to led Yugi a hand in picking the young woman up as he was already trying to assist her back onto her feet.

"Noooo!~ Let me stay here!" She whined loudly, swatting their hands away from her, starting to let her body slowly slip downward against the coat rack.

Yugi looked down at his friend in concern, pressing his lips together in a genuine frown. He crouched down further to make better contact with the petite brunette.

"You can't stay in here if you want to play Reshef of Destruction with us and Mokuba," He told her in a kindly manner, much like you would tell a child.

There was a delayed reaction from the young woman due from the few drinks she managed to get her hands on before leaving the karaoke bar. Her glossy eyes widened at the bribe that Yugi worded more as an offer to her. After the conversion earlier about collaborating with the younger Kaiba Jounouchi decided to contact him for a late night Let's Play session. Which Mokuba happily agreed to since the two had to drop his sister-in-law off at home anyway.

Finally getting impatient enough from the lack of response Jounouchi took it upon himself to grab hold of her small shoulders and forcibly stand her up. It caused the lady of the house to give out a whaling scream, shoving the aggressive blond away from her only to make her clumsy feet bump straight into Yugi's chest. And quickly wrap her arms around his waist for support and comfort. Her overreaction didn't waver the taller man as his mind was just as hazy much like Cameron's, the only difference in him being able to handle his liquor much better.

Yugi was the only one sound of mind, only drinking a couple of glasses during the night. His forehead creased as he looked at Jounouchi in somewhat a disappointment. "Joey, watch your actions. Do you really want to get on Kaiba's bad side?" He said, gingerly helping Cameron stand up straight on her feet which were now both free from her shoes.

A loud rumbling chuckle was the only thing to come out from the blond's mouth. "Pfffft! Fuck that guy, man! You think I'm scared of him?"

Yugi's brows straighten in annoyance, releasing his grip on Cameron's shoulders now that she was steady on her own.

"I didn't say you were. But we are in his home. I'm sure he wouldn't like to see you rough housing with his wife. You know?" He kept his voice neutral not to upset his tipsy friend.

"Who's rough-housin'! The broad couldn't get up!" His voice became more agitated, echoing the small space of the mudroom.

With Yugi opening his mouth to answer with another impartial comeback he was quickly yanked away from Jounouchi by Cameron as she tugged him out of the room and twirled around to grab both his hands, shuffling backward through the hallway she flashed Yugi a grin as she faced him.

Feeling a bit uneasy by the American woman's sudden impulse he slowed his steps trying to make her come to a halt, holding her hands back in a weak grip. "Be careful Cam, we don't want you to fall again," He warned her in caution.

"Oh, Yugi! Don't be silly! Mokuba will help me up!" She told him joyously, beginning to tug him with more force as he purposely kept a gradual pace to be careful.

"Heh, I guess so," Yugi gave an unnerved smile as a trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face. He was starting to overheat in his leather jacket.

Cameron managed to snake her hands around his wrists, tightening her grip as she mustered up enough strength to spin them both around in circles of the wide hallway making the gentle rebel shout in surprise. Not fathoming how her small body could come up with all that strength to yank him around like that. His exclamation made the small woman giddy with laughter as she suddenly let go of the hold on him. Yugi was lost balance fairly quickly, stumbling backward and bumping into Jounouchi taller build who was close behind the two the whole time. He grabbed onto his shorter friend's arm.

"Wanna dance Yuge?" He blurted out sarcastically making Yugi step back from him when he twirled the shorter male under his arm.

"Ah, I'll pass thanks," He answered passively as he turned back to the direction where Cameron was, still holding hands with Jounouchi. She was standing in the middle of the gaping doorway that leads into the spacious living room.

"What the hell you doin' over there Cam?" Jounouchi grumbled, releasing his grip on Yugi roughly. He looked over at her questionably as he strode over to her.

Her eyes were glued to the beautifully painted Blue Eyes White Dragon framed above the fire mantel. Despite the whole room being engulfed from the darkness that damn painting still lit up the whole room with its gorgeous coloring. The photo of the couple kissing looked so measly under the grand display of the mythical beast. Its wings fanned out almost in a mockingly. Cameron couldn't tell if it was her hazed mind or not for feeling such despise towards the damned thing. And at this point, she didn't care.

A mischievous smile curved her lips. "Hey, can you guys do me a favor?"

\--

The three stood there in front of the fireplace with the dragon stoically looming over them as it guarded the space where it hung on the wall. Much like it's keeper the dragon reflected the same aura Seto held. It was both threatening and stunning at the same time. Seto let this mythical beast hold much power over the Kaiba livelihood. It was the company colors, there was a statue of the beast in front of the main Kaiba Corp headquarters. Even the stones on Cameron's ring was the same color scheme of this god-awful dragon. And after hearing Yugi's explanation on how he official met her husband by how obsessed with the duel monster card that he stole and destroyed his grandfather's copy just made her sick to her stomach. It made her hate the worthless thing even more.

"How the hell are we gonna get it down from the wall?" Jounouchi asked, dumbfounded still looking up at the painting. His lips pursed together as Yugi stepped away from the group to flick on the lights in the living room. It only enhanced the quality of the Blue Eyes.

Cameron looked behind her and bent down to drag a box-shaped leather footstool over to the fireplace. The stubby wooden legs scratched against floor making a faint screeching noise.

"You can stand on this!" She explained in excitedly, patting the top cushion of the stool.

Yugi glanced over at the short brunette worrisome. "Are you sure Kaiba isn't going to be upset about removing this picture? This has been hanging up here since I could remember," He said gently as he watched Cameron's face scrunched in disgust.

"I'm the lady of the house! I live here too now! And I think hanging up family photos is more important than a stupid dragon!" She crossed her arms in a huff.

"Well, if you say so--" The eccentric man stopped in mid-sentence from panic as Jounouchi picked him up by the studded collar of his jacket using both his hands and hoisted the smaller male over towards Cameron as an attempt to set him over her petite shoulders.

"Joey! What are you doing!" Yugi flailed his arms, voice pitching slightly from being strangled. He managed to sway his body the opposite way from the American woman, giving her enough time to stand clear of them.

"Both of yous are short! I'm gonna put you on Cam's shoulders so you can reach the painting!" His words slurred only slightly as he followed Cameron's steps as she scurried away from him and Yugi.

"Stop! Or I'll tell Mokuba!" She squealed, picking up a throw pillow from the couch and tossing it at the blond's face as she crawled onto the cushions.

"Ack!" He dropped Yugi to the floor when the throw pillow hit him square in the face. The smaller male landed with a thud straight onto his bottom and a wince.

In a foggy state, Jounouchi picked the pillow back up and swung it back at Cameron with force, hitting her in the side with it. She let out another squeal, curling into a ball facing away from them.

Yugi quickly got up with a sigh, dusting himself off. "Alright guys, come on let's get this over with," He trudged himself back in front of the fireplace.

While Yugi pushed the stool closer to the stone hearth and hopped up on top of it. He looked back at his two drunk comrades as he stood on his tiptoes to reach up to touch the bottom of the frame. "Are you ready Jou?"

Jounouchi watched Yugi stupefied with a squint. "Yeah," He nodded, grabbing the arm of the couch Cameron was still laying on and started to drag it across the hardwood floor backward.

The brunette lifted her head up, keeping her position laying on her belly. She quickly sat up when Jounouchi started climbing onto the couch where her head was laid. He wobbled at first, quickly keeping balance and grabbed onto the frame forcefully and started to yank it off the wall. Yugi automatically started to lift the frame as well, trying to keep in unison with the sloppier movements of his friend as they maneuvered the frame off the wall. It was quite hefty, making it difficult for Yugi to keep a tight grip on it. His hands shook a bit as tried staying on his tiptoes. Jounouchi's rough hold on the frame is what caused the shorter man to lose his grasp. The picture became top heavy for the blond having him leaned more towards the left, losing his footing on the couch as he backed up closer to Cameron. The painting fell to the floor with the top corner of the frame hitting the wooden panels first. Jounouchi fell back, having the cushions on the couch break his fall. He bumped the back of his head into the front of Cameron's making the woman whale again and hold her forehead in her hands.

Yugi watched the painting fall with wide eyes, a bit stunned knowing that the outcome of this was not going to be good.

"Oh no! I think we broke it!" He hopped off the stool in a hurry and ran over to the painting that was now laying flat on the floor. The canvas itself wasn't harmed. It was the framing that damaged. The silver border had split all the way down on the one side that hit the floor when it first fell.

In typical drunken fashion, Jounouchi blew off his friend's distressed state. "Don't worry 'bout a thing!" He tried to reassure him, slipping off the couch and stood.

"We'll just hide the piece of junk!" He said, grabbing hold of the painting having the two angles of the frame separate and hang down to the floor.

A chill went up Yugi's spine when seeing that. "Jou! Please be careful! We don't have to break it any more than we already did!" He shouted, following right behind the blond's footsteps as he started to wander in search of a hiding space.

\--

While the boys took care of the painting Cameron went to work on her original plan with hanging the photo Ben gave her up where her husband's dear Blue Eyes occupied on the wall. She stood up on the same footstool Yugi used to center the framed photo. She hopped off the stool and took a few steps back to get a better view of it. Being unsatisfied by how bare the wall looked like just one picture. Cameron salvaged another photo which was from a magazine cover she saved when she and Seto first got engaged. The background was blank, only being white. It had both Kaiba brothers and herself in the picture. Sitting in a Victorian style chaise lounge sofa with a silk cream colored covering to the cushioning. Cameron was seated in the middle of the two brothers dressed in a slim ruby red dress that had a sweetheart neckline. She was holding hands with Seto, their fingers intertwined together in a certain way to display the American woman's more traditional engagement ring or just a silver band and a modestly sized diamond. The cutthroat CEO was wearing an indigo blue suit. His pocket square on his breast was white with the KC logo patchworked in gold that was the same color as his tie. As Mokuba wore more of an eggplant color suit with the same exact white and gold pocket square and tie as his older brother. The style of their outfits was very regal looking to match the theme of the photo.

In many regards, the Kaibas were considered as some sort of royalty. Which still baffled Cameron at times. Knowing how the family actually was. The magazine cover was already secured in a metal frame. It was one of the photos the petite brunette was rather fond of. She made the picture of the three of them as the main focus, hanging it in the middle as she placed the romantic looking kissing picture to the side of it. She admired her setup with a smile before hopping back off the stool again where she was greeted by the younger Kaiba walking in the hallway.

"Hey, Cam! What are you up to?" Mokuba asked, stepping into the living room and taking a good look at the new display. His hair was tied back in a low ponytail and the first couple of his buttons undone.

"Mokuba!~" She spun around to embrace her brother-in-law in a tight hug with a grin.

The younger Kaiba was taken back at first, taking a step back and returning her hug. He smelled the scent of alcohol lingering off her knowing that Seto wouldn't be too happy when he came home. He slowly pulled himself away, keeping a gentle grip on his sister-in-law's shoulders with a smile.

"You had a fun night I see. Do you know where Yugi and Joey are? I texted Jou earlier," He said, glancing back up at missing Blue Eyes. It wasn't far-fetched that Cameron's new decor choice had to do with a squabble between the couple.

Cameron gave an exaggerated shrug. "Beats me!" She slapped her hands together, twirling back around.

Mokuba frowned, taking her hand in his. "Let's go find them so we can start the live stream," He told her, pulling her along as he searched the hallways.

\--

Mokuba walked throughout the hallways with his sister-in-law by his side, letting go of her hand once he realized that despite Cameron's tipsy state she was alert enough to stay put without becoming too out of hand. With a short phone call with Yugi, they found the other two men quickly. In Jounouchi's drunken state he got easily distracted after finding a hiding space for the painting and wandered through the corridors with Yugi having no choice but to trail after him. They were found in the larger game room that was located in the further back of the first floor of the manor. Unlike the smaller game room, Cameron seemed to favor this space was much larger in size. Looking closely similar to an arcade. And housed more of the experience games. It included the classic games like the original Donkey Kong and Street Fighter systems. A virtual dueling platform and a ball pit Mokuba requested as a kid but was never replaced due to the fondness he held for it. Along with a few other odds and ends that seemed less entertaining compared to the other attractions to the room. Mokuba greeted Yugi and Jounouchi warmly with a hug, leading the two to the movie theater that was a room attached to the main room. All four of them ended up heading into the theater after coaxing the blond off of one of the motorcycle arcade games.

It took no time for the Mokuba to switch programs to hook the movie screen to the internet so they can proceed with the Let's Play session. With a little help from Jounouchi signing into his gaming account to have the live stream begin. Yugi had found the gaming controls neatly packed in a cubby built inside the wall. He started unwrapping the wires as the other two men sat down in the red deluxe theater chairs. Cameron was already curled up in the corner of one of them, claiming it as the rest of the group was setting up and discussing their game plan.

\--

Half past eleven is when Seto's towering build appeared in the front door of the mansion. A quiet groan escaped him with exhausted eyes staring down at the bamboo mat that had the usual line up of shoes seeing Mokuba's and Cameron's boots messily thrown in the corner. Eyes narrowing when spotting the two pair of unfamiliar shoes mixed in the bunch. Knowing for a fact the black studded boots were none other than Yugi's which wasn't hard to figure out that the other pair of loafers belonged to the idiotic blond. A feeling of existential dread fell upon the drained CEO. Not looking forward to any company after the lack of sleep he's been having for the past week.

After taking off his own shoes he headed out of the mudroom with satchel in hand. The only goal was to head upstairs and get ready for bed, trying to avoid whatever socializing he might find himself in. He carelessly almost walked past the threshold of the living room, only having the room caught his attention for a split second before noticing that the light was left on. He had one foot stepped over the threshold while his hand found the light switch located on the wall. His pupils constricted suddenly seeing that his prized painting had disappeared from its place on the wall. He felt his face heat up from anger as he stormed into the living room and glared at the photos that replaced his precious Blue Eyes. He knew this was an act of spite from his troublesome wife.

\--

A wall of text was flashing quickly across the side of the theater screen. A column of screen names was filling up the chat space as a playthrough of Overwatch was taking up the majority of the screen. The three men playing took a vote from the viewers of the live stream. Having that particular game win over the other three mentioned. Mokuba was seated in the middle with Jounouchi on the right of him and Yugi to left. Cameron was still slouched in the corner, using her corduroy jacket as a blanket having it draped over her torso. Her head was slumped against Yugi's shoulder using him as a headrest. She was the only one without a controller so she claimed herself as the narrator of the chatroom section, reading comments that she was quick enough to spot.

The ringing of Mokuba's phone caused him to stand up from his seat and stretched his hand past Yugi to give Cameron the controller to take his place.

"I'll be back," He said, slipping his phone out and seeing his brother's name light up his screen he quickly picked up and headed out of the theater and into the arcade.

"Bro! What's up?" His voice was loud enough for the crowd of fans to hear. A bombardment of messages started flooding the screen as questions if the older Kaiba was going to join the others in the game.

"That stuck up suit? Please! He's just gonna cramp our style!" Jounouchi spat, straightening out the large headphones placed on top of his head.

Yugi smiled, throwing in a bit of his own wit. "We have plenty of Kaibas to make up for the loss of the main one," He gave a soft chuckle.

"Yeah! We got the cooler Kaiba and the littlest Kaiba," Jounouchi agreed, referring to Mokuba and Cameron as he tried focussing back on the game.

Being called a Kaiba still came across strange to Cameron as at times she still felt like a stranger looking through glass between the two brothers. Still feeling the effect of the alcohol she stayed seemingly quiet only acknowledging their conversion with a small giggle and a nod.

Mokuba held his phone close to his ear with his brother's voice being loud enough to hear his angered muffled tone. This did not damper the younger Kaiba's mood completely as he kept his typical peachy attitude trying to talk Seto back into a neutral state.

"Yeah, she's here with us Seto--" He stopped to listen to his brother's rambling continued.

"Bro, I just can't leave the live stream. We'll be finished in a few minutes. I'll tell Cam to see you. Alright?" He turned his back to the theater door, keeping his voice down so he wasn't heard by his friends or the fans. The rambling from the other side of the phone continued with Mokuba patiently listening.

"I'm getting her now. Okay, bye," He hung up quickly and stepped back into the room enough for him to be seen. He waved Cameron over towards him. Having her take a moment to notice him before standing up and slinking away from the other two who were too devoted to the gameplay to pay any mind to the Kaibas.

He turned and stepped out of the room once more when Cameron followed him out. He placed a hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Seto is home and he's really upset and wants to talk to you. Please, try to be civil. It'd be really bad if the others found out how terrible you guys don't get along," He told his sister-in-law calmly.

Her eyes dulled as he explained. "It's about the stupid painting isn't it?"

"I swear Cam, we should make you a fortune teller!" Mokuba grinned, using a bit of sarcasm to keep the mood light.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "I hate him Mokuba," She growled lowly with crossed arms.

Her words caused the younger Kaiba's expression saddened a bit. "I don't like when you say that Cam. Seto really cares for you," He said, patting her back lightly.

"I have to stay here and finish the live stream. Please, control your temper. I know Seto tries to control his. Be nice okay?" He tried to convince her before she turned sharply away from him and headed out of the game room, seething.

\--

Making it out of the room was a hassle since it was built as exactly like an actual arcade and took time to walk out of it. Cameron was halfway through the hallway when she was met with her husband staring at her with disdain. It caused her to stop in her tracks, a self-assured smiling stretching across her face.

"Came to find me? Old cabbage?" She scoffed at him with a laugh.

He glared down at her only to respond by grabbing onto her arm harshly and started dragging her through the rest of the hallway. Her foggy state of mind had to process the occurrence.

"Let me go!" She hissed at him, starting to thrash limbs as they were practically in the living room now. Her behavior only made him become rougher with Cameron as he tightened his grip on her arm and yanked her harshly. He kept his back turned to her, too disgusted to want to even glance at her face. Once they were back in the room where the missing painting was he released his hold on her.

"Where the hell is my Blue Eyes!" He threw his hand up in the air, motioning up over the mantle of the fireplace.

Cameron's glossy eyes stared at him blankly, slowly settling on the two photos she hung up a few hours ago. "I don't know. Why don't you ask Aidan," She answered deadpan.

He blinked at her keeping a squint, struck with confusion as he paused to recall the name.

"Who is Aida--" He bit his tongue becoming infuriated once he remembered that it was that daft stuffie.

"You're still on that! It's a haggered toy, Cameron! It means nothing!" He kept his arm lifted in the air as his hand was still pointed up towards the wall. His temper has been flared by the nonsense of his wife.

"And neither does your dumb dragon!" She snapped back bawling her fists tightly.

"What did Aidan ever do to you? Nothing! You didn't have to throw him away like that!" Her eyes started to water uncontrollably at the thought.

Seto raised a brow at his wife's strange behavior her. Cameron's anger wasn't a shock to him but her speech and more childish tone of voice were, making him suspicious. His dark blue eyes scanned her face a moment trying to pinpoint a reason. He felt foolish that he didn't realize it before.

"You're drunk after I told you not to drink so much! Why must you constantly try to be defiant with me! This is why I told you to be responsible! Look at what you've done Cameron! Possibly ruined an of a one of a kind item because of you can't control your emotions!" He turned away from her, placing his hand over to his face as an attempt to calm his nerves to keep his composure.

"You don't love me! Why would you take away the only good memory I have from home!" Her voice shrilled with her voice cracking at the end of her sentence as she sobbed into her hands.

The sound of his wife breaking down only disgusted Seto even further. Only turning his head slightly to glance at her.

"And this is why I took the rabbit away. Look at you! It's pathetic! You don't live in America anymore. That hack photographer isn't anything to you anymore. I'm your husband now. This is your life now! I've treated you so well! Why don't you show me any respect!" He growled, swinging back to face her with gritted teeth. The look in his eyes was darkened by a mix of rage and resent. He just couldn't understand why this woman was so unhappy when all he ever tried to do was to create a comfortable life with her.

"You don't love me!" She repeated with that shrill of her's.

"I want a divorce!" She cried, wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"Oh please! You're drunk, you don't mean what you say! Save your tears for somebody gullible enough to believe you!" He snapped, eyes widening as he watched Cameron pick up glass candle and flung it at him, only having it miss Seto's tall frame. Her poor judgment from her tipsy mind.

The commotion that was unfolding in the living room was heard from Mokuba and the other two young men as they were heading out of the game room, now finished with their live stream. Yugi was the first one to make a comment about the strange noises. Making the young Kaiba run ahead of them when the glass was heard shattering onto the floor. He skidded into the living room, walking into the couple struggling in each other's grasp. Seto had Cameron's hands pinned behind her back to stop her from throwing anything else at him. While she thrashed like a fish out of water trying to break free.

"Come on guys! Seto, let her go! Come on!" Mokuba rushed over to them and grabbed onto Cameron making the older Kaiba release her.

"Save it Mokuba! Shouldn't you be shacked up with that floozy of yours?" Seto scoffed, clearly sickened enough to turn his anger on his kid brother. His hands were shaky from the furry he felt as he took a step back and closed his eyes to take a deep breath.

The older Kaiba's sharp tongue had bruised Mokuba's heart as the only comeback his younger brother responded with was a defined frown curving his lips. His brows were flustered but eyes weren't saddened. They had a stern look to them as Seto's teachings have rubbed off on his kid brother well.

Becoming unnerved, having a sense of regret overcome him Seto took a step back.

"I apologize," He mumbled weakly, narrowed eyes now softening at the view of Mokuba's face.

He still had a gentle hold on Cameron who was staring at her husband dead in the center with such revulsion. She looked like she was ready to pounce back at him any moment, especially after the slight made to Mokuba.

"Seto, you know I love you. But haven't you ever took into consideration that you can't control everything?"Mokuba spoke out bravely, tightening his grip on Cameron's thin arm to nudge her back more towards himself.

Seto had heard enough. Cameron's escapades were enough to make him snap as the fatigue he was coping with was already toying with his mind. He didn't have the energy to fight with the younger Kaiba now. He turned his back to them, forfeiting for the night. Mokuba watched his brother walk off in concern.

"Where are you going, Seto?" His stare softened, finally letting go of Cameron's arm.

Seto stopped in the doorway of the living room momentarily. "To bed. Get her out of here. I don't want her here if she's unhappy," He answered curtly before disappearing into the hallway.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for another long chapter! I honestly wasn't planning on updating so soon but after getting such awesome kind messages from you guys I decided to push myself. This includes Scarlet herself giving me really good advice! You guys know a girl's heart, man! Many thanks! <3
> 
> There's like a subplot with Marik and Ryou all of a sudden? Mainly because I love them and angstshipping. (That and Marik has something in common with Cam that I'm going to try to convey a little later on) I also don't know why I made Ryou have so much importance to the situation with Cam???? Maybe because he's the mom friend?
> 
> Mokuba is legit a sweetheart angel and deserves the f*cking world. I honestly believe that both Seto and Cam love Mokuba more then they love each other. (That's a fact actually) He's the glue keeping them together. He straight up deserves a reward!
> 
> Song that inspired me most was Don't know Nothing by Maroon 5 
> 
> "Living inside my head pulling my strings  
> Letting me think I'm in control  
> Giving you all of my heart was a good start  
> But it turns out you want my soul
> 
> Pushing me over the edge  
> Can't forget those things you said  
> Cut to the bone  
> Go ahead, take your swing  
> What did you think?  
> I was just gonna roll over, oh no
> 
> I'm putting myself on the line  
> And I'm tired of wasting my time  
> There's got to be a reason why  
> She will not talk to me"

Jounouchi and Yugi stood in the darkened hallway, wide-eyed and stunned only listening to the chaos going on in the room ahead of them. Yugi’s face flushed when Seto’s tall build came into full view ahead of the pair making the shorter male step aside, not to get in his. The miserable CEO stared straight ahead, acting if they weren’t even there until he bumped shoulders with the rowdy blond and swiftly brushed past him.

“Hey! Watch where ya goin’ ya jerk!” Jounouchi shoved shoulders back, snapping at him with a shaking fist.

Seto slowly came to a halt a few feet away, back still turned. He paused to calculate a witty remark with tightened fits. Pondering enough he decided it wasn’t worth the effort as he continued his heavy footsteps forward and up the staircase.

Yugi pressed himself against the wall, watching his former rival disappear. “Wow, he must be really upset,” He frowned, glancing up at Jounouchi who was still riled up.

“Yeah! Walk away! Douchebag!” He cupped his hands to his face as he shouted out drunken babble.

Mokuba and Cameron approached the pair back in the hallway once Seto was gone. The younger Kaiba kept a comforting hand against his sister-in-law’s back while his free hand lazily rested inside his pocket. The brunette’s eyes were red and swollen from sobbing and staring downwards at the floor.

“Hey Jou, why don’t you and Cam go outside for some fresh air. Me and Yugi are going to pack a bag up for Cam,” He suggested trying to prevent any more disputes in the mansion as he slid away from Cameron and over to Yugi’s side.

\--

While the drunks calmed themselves down in the fresh air. Mokuba escorted Yugi upstairs and into Cameron’s room. The younger Kaiba pushed the door opened and flicked on the light.

“Thanks for coming up with me no questions asked. I figured it’d be best to have Cam as far away from bro as possible right now,” He explain calmly, looking around and picking up a canvas backpack that was left out and dumped her college books out onto her desk.

“No problem. I just wish I could have been better help back there,” He shrugged, putting his hands in his jacket pockets and looked around the room.

“Staying out of it was the best help you could ever do. Trust me,” Mokuba said, opening of the dresser drawers and started skimming through outfits he recalled Cameron’s wearing the most.

“Well, that’s true. Knowing Kaiba it would have just escalated if something was said. Especially how upset Cam seemed to be,” Yugi’s shoulders sagged, watching Mokuba pluck out a folded pair of leggings and t-shirt and threw them in the bag.

“Yeah,” Mokuba nodded. “Hey, want to get a shampoo bottle from the bathroom for me?” He turned his head to look over at Yugi, opening the top drawer for a set of bedclothes.

The gentle rebel nodded quick. “Sure!” He dashed towards the bathroom and grabbed a handful of toiletries that girls seemed to use, taking note from what Anzu normally always carried with her when she came back to Japan to visit.

Mokuba held the bag over for Yugi as he dropped the items in. “I think that’s everything. What else do girls normally need? There’s an outfit for tomorrow and I grabbed a nightgown for tonight. Maybe makeup?” The question, feeling a bit silly asking as he never really took notice of what Hyori used and adding to the fact that Cameron wasn’t the same type as his girlfriend.

“Uh, nope. I found her makeup purse and put it in there,” He said, staring into the bag and hesitated.

“Um, Mokuba? You didn’t happen to put uh--underwear in there did you?” Yugi could feel his cheeks heating up at the mention of another woman’s undergarments.

This comment also caused the younger Mokuba’s face to light up. “Aw damn, no! You wanna do it?” He persuaded.

“What! Me? I don’t know if I should. I mean, I have a girlfriend. It’d be a little awkward to touch another girl’s underwear. Don’t you think?” Yugi started to chew on his bottom lip in nervousness.

“You wanna talk about awkward? She’s my brother’s wife. It’d be disrespectful if I even looked at her underwear!” Mokuba added, taking a bit of amusement in his friend’s face.

“It’d be disrespectful of me too. Not just for Kaiba but for Anzu!” Yugi stretched his arm up and touched the back of his head. Feeling the gel waring off.

“I guess there’s only one way to decided,” Mokuba grinned, stretching his hand out in the air.

Yugi raised a brow in question a moment before returning the younger Kaiba with a small smile back as he lowered his hand to meet the other man’s, proceeding in a game of rock, paper, and scissors. With Mokuba winning twice making Yugi the loser of the challenge and searching for the right drawer to find Cameron’s forbidden intimates.

“It feels good beating the King of Games at something!” Mokuba chuckled, keeping the bag wide open for Yugi to place the clothing in.

“Oh, ha, ha. That was so funny I forgot to laugh,” Yugi rolled his eyes and crouched down after opening all the dresser drawers that only left him with the last one. He only glanced down at the neatly arranged panties and bras a moment before closing his eyes tightly and reaching his hand in blindly as he plucked a random pair of underwear out and quickly tossed them into the bag.

Just to play along with the charade The younger Kaiba closed his eyes as well, lowering his arms with the bag so Yugi could reach it better. After the clothing was inside Mokuba zipped it up and pulled it over his shoulder.

“Nice choice Yugi!” He teased as they walked out of the room.

“Please, Mokuba. I’d rather not speak of this,” He murmured lowly, heading back downstairs.

\--

Jounouchi stood outside on the front porch puffing at a cigarette. The gentle night wind blew his untidy blond locks back as a smoke escaped through his nostrils. He stared down at Cameron from the corner of his eye who was crouched down on her knees by one of the stone pillars near the door. Still teary-eyed she let out a sniffle, laying her arms on her thighs.

“The hell? You still cryin’ over there?” He took another drag on his cigarette, walking towards her.

“I’m not crying!” Her voice sounded weak and weary as if she was on the verge of tears again.

“You gotta snap out of it!” Jounouchi blurted, crouching down next to her and letting smoke float out from his lips as he spoke.

“I’m trying! I just don’t understand why he even bothered marrying me if he doesn’t love me,” She whined lowly, glancing down at the blond’s scuffed loafers as she rubbed her eyes.

Jounouchi paused, taking one last drag from his cigarette before flicking it aside into the front garden. “Maybe cause your initials is KC backwards,” He shrugged.

Cameron raised her head and looked up at him puzzled. “What?” She pressed her lips together in a pout as she thought.

Once it came to her she started laughing hysterically. It was true, CK was indeed her initials now. Her husband was strange in that regard it was possible that Seto thought that over. How was it possible for Jounouchi to possess more wit drunk than sober? This was the charm that reminded her of why she liked the rowdy blond so much. He had quite a few characteristics similar to brother Bobby. Not only with his city accent but also with his head-strong will and Brooklyn temper. He reminded her of where she came from, even in this fogged state of mind.

The front door open with Mokuba stepping out onto the porch first. He smiled down at the two crouched down.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” He said, directing it towards Cameron only having a slurred _‘thanks!’_ come from Jounouchi’s mouth instead as the Younger Kaiba swiftly walked off the porch to retrieve his car.

“I’ll be back in a minute. Keep an eye out Yugi!” Mokuba called out, disappearing with the canvas bag swing behind his shoulder.

“I plan on it,” Yugi nodded with an unnerved chuckle, standing on the porch now and stretched an arm out for Cameron to take.

\--

Out of courtesy, Cameron was designated the for the spot of shotgun. While Yugi and Jounouchi crammed themselves into the back of the lime green sports car. The younger Kaiba had admitted he was guilty of taking a liking to the more flashy cars, unlike his big brother. While the small group ventured onwards away from the Kaiba Estate Mokuba asked Cameron where she’d like to stay the night before he decided who to drop off first. The American woman hugged her bag tightly in her lap asking Yugi if it was okay to still sleep over his apartment as she had enough mind not to want to intrude with Mokuba and his girlfriend. Without hesitation, Yugi pleasantly answered her with a yes. With the younger Kaiba not putting up much of a disagreement as in normal circumstances he’d persist knowing that Seto would rather have his wife with him than his friends. But, wanting to spend the night at the manor instead because he knew his brother wasn’t in the right frame of mind he quietly agreed to the decision and drove towards Yugi’s apartment complex not bothering to drop off the now passed out blond in the car. His snoring was loud enough to wake the dead.

Mokuba was cut off before being able to pull into the driveway. The roaring of a pristine red chopper parked in the asphalt space. The younger Kaiba gave a friendly toot from his horn as Malik hopped off his motorcycle first as Ryou stayed seated on the back, pulling the helmet off and shaking his head to straighten his hair out. Both turned their heads when the beep was heard. Ryou waved towards them with a smile only having Malik show acknowledgment with a squint before mumbling something to his pale friend before heading into the apartment first. He watched Malik leave, giving a bit of a troubled look. Yugi opening the back door was enough reason for Ryou to head over towards the car, tucking his hands into the pockets of familiar racer jacket that belonged to the Arabic.

“Welcome home,” He smiled, glancing around at the others to gather the situation.

“Hey, thanks. Shouldn’t I be saying that to you? You just got off your shift didn’t you?” Yugi smiled back, catching Ryou’s eyes caused him to glance back at Jounouchi who was still asleep.

Ryou nodded. “You’d be right! Hello Mokuba, how are you?” He asked, popping his head in slightly to greet the younger Kaiba better.

“I’m good thanks. I hope you don’t mind the sudden intrusion. Last time we spoke you didn’t seem to be a stranger to the minor issues we’re having lately,” Mokuba spoke more formal out of a nervous habit, feeling a bit embarrassed at having others know about the issues of his brother known.

“Don’t worry about it. Yugi only carries good company. Cam included,” Ryou stayed chipper, stepping aside once Yugi tried to awake the sleeping beast in the back.

Mokuba’s face softened at the kindness with a smile. “Thank you, it’s really appreciated,” He stretched out his arm forming his hand into a fist towards Ryou before he was far away.

“You’re quite welcome,” Being familiar with the gesture Ryou did the same, bumping knuckles with the younger man. He quickly lends a hand to help coax Jounouchi out of the back seat of the car.

Cameron had stayed silent this whole time, listening intently to the others. She looked up once she felt Mokuba’s eyes on her. The younger Kaiba opened his arms to her for a hug. She graciously accepted, hugging him back tightly as sat on her knees to lean closer to him.

“Have a good rest okay, Cam?” Mokuba patted the back of her head before she slipped out of his grasp.

“Me or Seto will call you tomorrow. I will definitely call you. Okay?” He forced a smile to ease the tension.

At this moment Mokuba reminded her a lot of Seto in his mature mannerism. He was the light-hearted Kaiba but this was an example of how well trained in being the co-founder and CEO of Kaiba Corp. This also made Cameron feel small. Having a kid half her age look after her like a child.

“Mokuba, I have to tell you something really important. Please try not to hate me,” Cameron mumbled, staring down at her palms she had pressed to the tops of her thighs. She could feel the swelling tears in her eyes again.

The younger Kaiba nodded in caution, turning the engine to the car off by twisting the keys. “Cam, I’d never hate you. We’re family,” He said, trying to convince her as it only made him worry the result of his sister-in-law’s confession.

“The bruise was from me. Seto didn’t fall. The night we had the argument about Hyori I ended up punching him in the face before leaving the mansion. I’m sorry,” The end of her example became harder to understand as Cameron only crumbled into a mess of tears.

Mokuba watched the small brunette sob in the passenger's seat next to him as he let her words sink in as he thought. He didn’t feel mad at this confession. It didn’t take him by surprise either. Cameron was known for her temper and quick hands. He has witnessed his fair share of fights between the couple. As he always ended up as the referee.

“Honestly, I’m not surprised,” A nervous chuckle escaped him.

“It’s not like Seto to be clumsy like that, you know? I kind of had an idea it had to do with one of your fights. Seto has been smoothing injuries over since we were kids,” Mokuba said calmly, letting Cameron cry. Hoping it would soothe her.

“I’m not upset with you. I’m upset about the situation. You guys are a newly weds. This should be the best time of your life. The two of you shouldn’t let things like my love interest get in your way. I just want you and bro to be happy. There shouldn’t be any talk of divorce. Live happily. You can fix this, it won’t work unless you and Seto work as a team Cam,” He spoke softly to her in a stern tone. It was another remnant of the older Kaiba’s teachings to his little brother.

“I’m sorry,” She sobbed through tears, continuously wiping her face using her hands with her head permanently bowed.

“I should be leading by example. I’m a poor excuse for a Kaiba,” She mewled with a sniffle.

Mokuba shook his head in disbelief. “You really sound like bro now,” His tone lightened with a grin forming on his face, reaching his arms over to touch her shoulders gently.

“Look at me,” He said hushed, using a hand to wipe her bangs away from her face.

Cameron was resistant at first, shaking her head before slowly obeying when she felt the touch of the younger Kaiba’s hand on her face. She lifted her head up to meet eyes with him again.

“I only want you to worry about the struggle you have with Seto. Even though I appreciate your willingness to defend my choices from my brother I don’t want you too. It’s like what you always say right? It’s my life. I’m a grown man. I can handle it on my own. Please, let me straighten things out with Seto on my own. Just work on your marriage for me instead, okay?” He squeezed her shoulder tenderly, using his thumb to rub the back of her neck.

It caused Cameron to shiver, nodding at her brother-in-law’s words as she had calmed her crying down now. “Okay,” Was the only response she had.

What else could she say? Mokuba was right. She was always ready to jump on her husband’s case to leave his brother alone and to stop babying him when Cameron, to an extent was just as rightful to blame. In many ways, she and Seto were much alike. Very stubborn and set in their ways. Both wanted to be the leader in this marriage. Which isn’t how things work. They did need to work as a team to live happily.

“Please, don’t cry anymore,” He brought Cameron’s small body back into his arms for another hug. Letting the embrace linger before she finally hopped out of the car. They said their goodnights as the American woman walked up to the porch, watching Mokuba drive away briefly with her bag still in hand.

\--

The front door to the apartment was left open from Ryou and Yugi leading Jounouchi inside. A one-sided argument was heard as the small brunette walked in. Drunken Japanese blabber was being shouted at by Jounouchi towards Malik who was looking the least impressed by the attack. Not only has no interest in the argument about the blond’s current ex. But also for the fact that he didn’t understand much Japanese to even care to listen. The small crowd of young men was gathered in the tiny kitchen. Yugi held Jounouchi back by his arms as Malik was standing in front of the sink with the water still running as he was taking a few gulps of water from a tall glass. Ryou cautiously stood in the middle of the three. Cameron slowly wandered in already feeling out of place.

“Joey, shut the hell up,” Cameron mustered up enough sass from her pitiful attitude, walking past Yugi and Jounouchi and sat down on one of the stools on the island of the kitchen. Setting the bag next to her as she rested her head in her hands.

“Oh, Mrs.Kaiba is back,” Malik’s interested perked seeing the American girl back, turning to face her with the glass still in his hand.

Without warning Jounouchi broke away from Yugi’s grasp and shoved past Ryou with a balled fist straight to Malik’s face causing the Arabic to stumble back, aggressively grabbing a hold the collar of the blond’s shirt and dragged him down with him. The glass went flying in the air with the water splashing all over the counter and Cameron as both men hit the tile floor fast. Arms flailing in the air as both tried their best to make the first hit. Malik being quick enough to roll the other over and pin his body down, sitting on top of Jounouchi with his motor mouth still going.

“Listen, You son of a bitch!” He growled through panting, smacking Jounouchi in the mouth making the blond finally silencing the blond.

“If this has anything to do with that girl Mai I have nothing to do with it anymore! It’s not my fault she doesn’t love you! Alright! That side of me is dead! Because I have nothing to prove to you. Got it?” He snarled the last part in Japanese just to emphasize his disgust.

Getting ready for another hit only to be pulled back by Ryou as Yugi ran to the other side to grab Jounouchi. Unlike the blond who put up for a fight to escape the flamboyant man’s hold. Malik made no fighting effort to escape from Ryou’s arms. He stood back on his feet and looked over at the white-haired male with a smug smile.

“I’m okay,” he answered cooly before he could ask and turned his attention back to Cameron who was staring at the scene unfold with wide eyes. She hopped up from the stool once Jounouchi became too aggressive for Yugi and started assisting him by dragging the drunk into the living room. Seeing that it wasn’t going as smoothly decided to Ryou slide past Malik’s built frame to lead a hand once more to help calm the situation.

Malik rolled his eyes seeing that he was left alone in the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulled out a beer bottle and snapped the cap off letting the top fall to the floor.

\--

After getting a hold of Jounouchi and having him finally put to bed after another small outburst. He ended off with a good cry with comfort from Yugi in his room. Leaving Cameron awkwardly with Ryou and Malik again, feeling strangely comfortable with them as she sat across from them on the loveseat like the last time.

“Feels like deja vu,” Ryou joked with a chuckle, leaning close to the end of the couch as Malik sprawled himself out having his feet laid over the pale man’s lap as he sipped from his beer bottle.

“Yeah, I guess so. Is the offer of your bedroom is still open?” She closed her eyes to rest, letting the alcohol she consumed give her courage to ask such a bold question.

“Seeing that Yugi is sharing a room with Joey I don’t see why not. I’ll sleep in Malik’s room with him so you have some privacy,” He explained to her, taking no offense to her forwardness.

Silence fell upon the three, Cameron resting lightly while sitting up as Malik finished his beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table.

“So, when’s the divorce?” He asked curtly.

Cameron’s eyes shot open, staring at Malik in complete confusion and flustered brows. She pressed her lips together, ready to answer before Ryou cut in.

The comment made Ryou frown deeply. “Malik, what a thing to ask!” He said, slowly slipping the legs of his friend off him and stood.

The face of the cunning man was more sagged now from the alcohol kicking in. Malik’s eyes were saddened and glossy, Cameron could relate. She most likely looked the same pathetic way. Her head perked when Ryou approached her on the other side of the of the coffee table.

“Follow me and bring your bag. I’ll show you around my room,” He gave a weak smile to her and eyed at Malik quickly as he started to walk past with the small brunette.

Before Ryou could leave Malik grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him back gently, looking up at the other man in the eyes. “I’m sorry,” He mumbled.

Ryou kept a stretched frown, slipping his hand away. “Very well then,” he said simply as he met Cameron in the hallway to lead her upstairs.

He led the American woman upstairs and straight to open the door to his room. He stepped aside for Cameron to walk in first, holding her bag close to her chest to take a look around. It was quite surprising to see such a contrast to the preppy appearance Ryou gave off. His room was rather bleak. The skull displayed on the top of his desk and on one of the shelves of his bookcase were the first things Cameron noticed. Though, she shouldn’t be that surprised after the ouija incident and the occult talk the last time she visited here. Besides the skulls and other witchcraft related items scattered around the room it was decorated pretty generic and a bit cluttered. A plain bedspread, A footlocker by the end of the bed. His large shelf only had a few books only filling a couple of spaces as the whole rest of it was crowded with Dungeons & Dragons game pieces. They ranged from tiny figurines to very detailed landscape pieces. Some were neatly packed away in clear plastic boxes. Larger pieces almost served as bookends to the novels that were there. Needless to say, the collection was quite impressive.

Cameron must have been gawking for a long period of time at the massive display having Ryou step beside her, holding his hand behind his back with a genuine smile. “Do you play D&D too?” He tilted his head to her.

Cameron blinked, coming back into focus and shook her head, glancing up at the tall man. “Not really no. My brothers have played it before. I haven’t myself though. Did you paint these yourself?” She asked, curiously.

He nodded. “Most of them, yes. A few were made with friends. Like Yugi and Malik,” he confessed, looking over his own collection.

“That’s really cool Ryou, I give you much credit for creating them. It must be very tedious,” She smiled at the strange man in front of her, taking a bit of joy out of the pride that clearly showed him.

“Oh trust me! It is!” he chuckled, squatting down to rearrange a few figures.

“I’d like you to make yourself at home. If you have any questions you can ask me or the others,” He told her gently, standing back up and faced her.

She nodded to him. “Thank you so much, Ryou. You guys are far too kind to me. I’m very grateful,” She felt shame fall over her, glancing down a bit.

“Nonsense! You’re a lovely guest Cam! Have a good sleep,” He looked down at her charmingly before walking towards his dresser to retrieve a few articles of clothing before leaving.

Cameron had an urge to grab Ryou into a hug but still feeling like an acquaintance towards him she stood still, patiently waiting for him to leave the room. When the door was closed Cameron let her pleasant visage fade away and let the feeling of dread wash back over her with drooping eyes. She set her bag on the bed and unzipped it, digging through it. She blushed seeing a set of underwear mixed in with an outfit, makeup pouch, and other toiletries. It was so embarrassing knowing that another man had to see such things when her own husband had barely seen it himself. With a heavy sigh, the small brunette pulled out the nightgown only having her heart ache more. Looking at it first before undressing. After she was finished dressing down for bed, avoiding to shower even though she did feel quite grungy she felt too awkward too in this unfamiliar place. Deciding to head straight to the bed to make tomorrow arrive quicker.

\--

Sleep didn’t come easy for her as she laid there in a stranger’s bed with an unrecognizable clean scent that wasn’t her husband’s fresh smelling aftershave. She must have tossed and turned for hours to the point where she got tangled up under the covers. Deciding to lay there slumped in the sheets waiting for her eyes to get heavy. The room felt like it was spinning. Maybe it was from the after-effects of the alcohol. Or maybe it was caused by stress. At this point, it didn’t really matter. Whatever state of mind the American was in was enough for her not even to notice the door to the bedroom open as heavy footsteps trudged towards the bed.

“Ryoooou!~” A deep voice screeched as a heavy body of a man landed right on top of Cameron’s covered body.

It caused the woman to panic, letting a loud ear shattering shrill as arms wrapped around her small frame. Her body shot up in bed, shoving whoever was cradling her. The light turned in the room in the meantime with Ryou standing in the doorway looking at Malik in empathy.

“He’s been drinking. You can understand surely,” Ryou stepped in, dressed in his own bedclothes as he walked over to help Malik up.

“We’re both staying in your room remember?” He tried to sway the other man back up to his feet only having him be yanked down to the floor with him into a lingering hug. Malik was clearly drunk. And Ryou’s face flushed in embarrassment when he caught Cameron catching a glimpse of the two in their embrace. She quickly turned her body away to give the two some privacy. It was quite heartwarming actually. It wasn’t hard to see the attraction the two men had for one another. Unsure of how close their bond was but it was still charming either way. Admittingly being a little envious Cameron could only hope to be this way with Seto one day.

\--

The next morning at the Kaiba Estate was just as quiet as ever. Mokuba didn’t get a chance to speak to his brother last night figuring it was best to let him rest and give him space to cope with the whole ordeal. He really didn’t want to open another can of worms this morning either considering that it was both their day off from work. When Seto was settled down in the den, tucked away from the rest of the mansion further away from the front of the first floor. The room was much smaller giving off a cozy vibe. It looked like a more traditional western style approach style-wise. A small flat screen mounted on the wall. And a modern looking sofa kiddy corner of the room where Seto was seated, leg crossed as he was still dressed in his bedclothes and a lounging robe over it with the band to it tied around his waist. And slippers over his feet. The item most notable in the room was the prized Blue Eyes painting, it had been found after Yugi messaging the miserable CEO in the middle of the night to tell him the whereabouts of it.

The broken frame was already stripped from the canvas and replaced with the help of a crafty maid who diligently took extra precaution to set the painting on an identical silver frame. The room to the den was so small that the Blue Eyes was the most eye-catching as it hung over on the middle wall. The older Kaiba was enjoying the solitude until it was disrupted by a stocky frame of his kid brother walking into the room.

“Hey Seto, you got a moment?” He asked quietly, holding onto the border of the threshold keeping one in the door and other in the hallway.

Seto’s head was lowered, glasses on and looking down at his tablet going through the formatting plans for Yugi’s approved video game. He took a sip of his green tea before answering.

“Yes, take a seat,” He said calmly, setting his cup back onto the table and peeked his eyes over the frames of his glasses as his brother sat down in the recliner across from him.

“Did you sleep well?” He tried to start off easy.

“I slept enough,” Seto answered honestly with a shrug, scanning the jumbled mess of coding that was part of the game’s coding.

“Oh,” Mokuba arched his back slightly and held his hands in his lap letting the silence soak in between the two.

“Have you talked to Cam yet?” He asked, trying to ease into the conversion at hand.

“No, I texted her when I woke up. I haven’t gotten an answer. She must be sleeping,” He took another sip of tea and used his finger to scroll through the platforming details of the gameplay.

“What are you going to do with her?” After a long hesitation, the younger Kaiba finally spoke.

“I...I don’t know,” Seto hesitated as well, looking back up at his brother with an uncertain smirk.

His answer was unsettling to Mokuba. “What do you mean you don’t know?” He asked.

“I can only tell Cameron so many times that I care for her. It’s up to her to decide what she wants to believe. I can’t force her to trust me. If she really wants a divorce then I’ll let her make that choice,” He explained calmly, not sounding pained at all. He was far too used to masking his troubled tone.

“Do you think you guys will divorce?” Mokuba straightened his back a bit, eyes focusing on the bruise that had now darkened again on Seto’s jawline.

“I don’t know,” He answered in truth again, going back to fiddling on his tablet.

After another moment of silence with getting an unsatisfying answer, he finally went straight for the punch of the topic.“Cam admitted to me that she’s the cause for your bruise.”

“She confessed? That was nice of her,” The older Kaiba sounded uninterested as he let his mind drift back to the focus of his work.

Mokuba frowned at his brother’s responses. “Come on, Seto! Do you want to get divorced?” He asked, scooting closer to the edge of the recliner.

“Of course not!” The older Kaiba spat back, eyes looking upward again with his harsh eyes laying on his brother’s face.

“But I also don’t have a fear of being alone either. I’d like to have this marriage. As much as I hate to admit it. I think I’ve grown fond of the woman,” Seto’s face softened as the words came spilling out of his mouth, pausing in surprise by his own confession. Showing a hole in his lie about having no fear of being alone.

Once again the miserable CEO’s attention slowly sunk back to his work, keeping himself quiet as he went into deep thought. Mokuba could tell that the gears turning in his brother’s mind was more about his current state of affairs with his wife rather than the Kaiba Corp gaming system. Seeing that things were playing out in a positive light the younger Kaiba took a chance to leap to the next issue at hand.

“Um, Seto. I have something else I’d like to speak to you about,” He spoke in a more hushed tone now. Trying to avoid whatever mood he’d be greeted with.

“I already know it’s about Reader. Spill it,” He abruptly spoke, setting the tablet down next to his tea and leaned back into the sofa so his younger brother had his full attention.

“But before you start, I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have called her a floozy. I was, out of line,” He admitted, folding his hands in lap taking a more relaxed posture.

“Oh--That’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it. You caught up in the moment,” Mokuba answered, honestly taken by surprise by his brother’s reaction. His own brother admitting a downfall so easily? Cameron must have made the effort in swaying the older Kaiba’s mind.

“I’ve already made a decision. That I won’t intrude on your relationship with Reader unless something out of place happens. Meaning that I don’t want any risque behavior reported in tabloids. Understand?” His turned stern fairly quickly.

Mokuba nodded. “Bro, you’re talking like I didn’t know that by now?” Mokuba grinned, standing up from the chair to approach his brother.

“I believe half of what Cameron says is utter nonsense but maybe she’s right about letting you have some more freedoms. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work with our company. Once it does I will step in. Understand?” He eyed Mokuba from the corner of his eye.

“Yeah, yeah! I heard you the first time bro! Thank you!” Mokuba emphasized his words before slipping away from his brother. Loosening his hold only made Seto tightened his grip so he couldn’t move.

“I mean it,” The older Kaiba’s tone darken ever so slightly, finally letting go of Mokuba’s stockier build.

The younger Kaiba stood up straight in front of the sofa, rubbing the back of his neck. “Whoa, why the sudden change of attitude?” He frowned, a bit nervous now.

“While I was up last night I decided to leave Japan to spend four days in Italy to review some landscapes,” He explained calmly, running his fingers through his fringe and closed his eyes.

“So you seriously want to build a Kaiba Land there too, huh?” Mokuba was familiar with this conversion. His brother had mentioned it several times before.

“Yes, I’ve been putting off the offer for a while now. So I decided last minute to buy the ticket last night. My flight is this afternoon. I’d like you to pick up Cameron so I can say my goodbyes before I go,” He opened his eyes slowly and stared at Mokuba firmly.

“Since I’ll be missing you have to cover my place. Make sure that the business comes first,” He said, smoothing his bangs back down in place before standing up.

“Geez Seto, can you loosen up a notch on me, please? You’re acting like I haven’t covered your spot before,” He grimaced. Now understanding why Seto was giving in so easily. It was a test to see if he did well while his brother was missing for a few days. There was always a catch with the older Kaiba. It was always a bit impressive how keen he was at twisting things that he wasn’t too particularly with to suit his own whims.

“That was before you became so worldly. Now, come. We don’t have time to dawdle,” He said, walking out of the den.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate the ending of this chapter. I was having a hard time ending it so it turned out really abrupt. Despite that, I actually enjoyed the character interaction in this chapter. Not a lot happens here. That's okay because I still think it's cute? I feel so dumb because I brought the pinky promise thing back and didn't realize until now that it's not just an American thing. They also do pinky promises in Japan too. So in my previous chapter, Yugi would know what Cam was referring too. ALL WELL. It doesn't have to be perfect right? The idea of the pinky promise, to begin with, was from one of my older sisters. We used to pinky promise and kiss our fingers to make it extra special. :)
> 
> Also, a shout-out to my audience! I want to personally thank you for your support and love! I recently made 2# for Seto Kaiba fics on Wattpad. I also have quite a lot of views on here as well. I am truly overjoyed knowing that my portrayal of the Yugioh cast and own characters are well liked. Thank you! Xoxo

Cameron squinted with her face poking out of the mess of covers she was tangled in. Her head was pounding from the excessive drinking she had done last night. She laid there limply trying to recall the regrets that her hazed mind could only remember minor details too. Her vision slightly blurred started to focus finally, eyes widening at the view of the bookcase of Dungeons & Dragons figurines making her flip the covers off and hop out of bed.

She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it back as she cracked opened the door to the bedroom and peeked out first to see that nobody was in the hallway. Cameron looked back at the time on the alarm clock that was placed on top of the dresser seeing that it was fairly late only being 10:04 am. She closed her eyes tightly and pressed a palm to her temple with her head still engulfed in pain. A punishment she accepted from her irresponsible actions from last night. She let out a sigh before stepping out of the bedroom and tiptoed into the hallway and took a look around before heading towards the short staircase seeing that there were no signs of life upstairs. The small brunette kept light footsteps feeling awkward of her preference in this strange place. Once she was downstairs Cameron could hear the low drone of deep voices. And turning to the towards the common area of the apartment she could recognize it was English. Finding it odd as she became used to only hearing Japanese come to only realize it was Malik and Ryou. Which she had remembered enough from when they first met that the Arabic was only fluent in his native tongue and English. His Japanese was very choppy, much like Cameron's though the American woman could admit she had learned more thankfully from her studies.

The view from the threshold was two masculine bodies facing towards the back counter where the sink was facing the wall. Their backs were turned to Cameron. Only having the image of Malik's bare tattooed back facing her. His arms were wrapped around the less built man's waist with his chin tucked into the crook of his neck, Ryou's long white hair was pushed to the side so it didn't brush into the other man's face. They looked comfortable, it was very endearing. Cameron didn't want to interrupt as she stood on the threshold, hiding half her body behind the wall. After gaining enough nerve she cleared her throat and stepped into the kitchen.

"Morning guys," She said with a slight chipperiness to her tone as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Her voice automatically made Malik swiftly let go of his hold on Ryou and turned his back and rested it on the counter next to him.

"Morning Mrs.Kaiba," The tanned blond almost mumbled to her, picking up a black mug from the countertop and sipped it.

Ryou smiled when he finally was turned all the way around. He was already holding a long skinny cup with a tea bag string hanging off from the top. "Good morning. How are you feeling this morning?" He asked warmly, already knowing the answer but still wanted to come across polite.

"Probably the same as Malik," She gave a coy smile, glancing over at the Arabic and joined them in the small space of the kitchen.

Malik made eye-contact with her a moment as he sipped his own tea. "Welcome to the hangover club," He said smugly with a cheeky grin.

"Thanks, I guess. I'm no stranger anyway," Cameron shrugged, joining the other two as she pressed her back against the counter too.

Without asking Ryou opened the cabinet and pulled out a little plastic mug. It was quite colorful with the Beaver Warrior printed on the front of it. It looked like some type of collectible from a set. Which wasn't surprising from this household as Duel Monsters was a running theme as the item most likely belonged to Yugi. The white-haired male poured hot water from the electric kettle and into the childish cup along with a teabag, passing it over to Cameron.

The American woman took the little mug and gave Ryou a little nod to show appreciation and took a sip of tea. It was a nice earthy green taste of matcha. It went quiet between the three of them as Malik inched his way slowly to Ryou with his chin finding the crook of his shoulder again. He proceeded to wrap his arms back around his friend's waist only having the lankier man nudge the edge of shoulder back and forth to shoo the blond away. It only made him hold on a bit tighter and bite onto the top of his shoulder gently to make the nudging stop. The playfully nipping seemed to have worked as Ryou went back to standing stiff, a bit of annoyance was clear on his face as he continued to sip his tea. Obviously feeling self-conscious in front of their company. Little unbeknownst to the embarrassed pale man Cameron wasn't bothered by their interactions. She was quite used to it and found their bonding rather cute. She covered her smile behind the Beaver Warrior, taking a sip of tea as well.

"So, are Joey and Yugi still sleeping?" She asked, only to break the silence. The door to Yugi's room was opened and empty when Cameron decided to enter the hallway and had a chance to peek in before coming downstairs.

"No, actually Mokuba gave them a lift to work after coming back here earlier this morning to give Yugi and Joey the photos they forgot at your home," Ryou answered, finishing his tea and turned slightly to set his empty cup in the sink with Malik still attached to his back.

"Oh, I see. I suppose the ride to work was also to avoid any other conflict that may occur between Jou and Malik," Cameron added on bluntly, holding the cup with both hands against her cheek.

Ryou nodded in agreement as he turned his head to glance at the man clinging to him. "Have you taken your meds today?" He asked softly, lifting a hand to grip on Malik's wrist and rubbed his skin soothingly.

Without a word, the blond slipped away from the pale man and turned to open a drawer filled with medicine and first-aid items. He picked up a white bottle and squinted to make sure it was the right medication. When he popped the top open is when Cameron recognized the name.

"Holy shit, you take lithium and you drink all that booze?" She looked at him in horror at his unphased face.

A smirk curled on Malik's lips as he filled his empty mug with water from the tap. "It hasn't killed me yet. I'm not too worried about it," He answered dully, tossing a pill in his mouth and chased it down with the water.

"This is no offense Malik but if you don't stop mixing your psych meds with alcohol you're going to end up six feet under," Cameron generally felt concern for the Egyptian. She was very familiar with this drug. Not just from her medical studies at University but also from her ex and his many medications he refused to take for his mental illness.

Before any arguments between the two could start Ryou butted in. "We're very well aware of that Cam, thank you. I tell him constantly," He gave a weak smile.

"I'll make sure you're the first one invited to the funeral Mrs.Kaiba," Malik let out a dry laugh, letting his hand brush against the lower back of the white-haired male.

Ryou caught Malik's hand and stared harshly at him, not having to speak words to show his distaste for his comment. His sharp eyes caused the blond to recoil, pulling his hand away from the other man. Understanding the message conveyed to him.

"The pictures of the cruise ship were very nice. It looked like a really enjoyable event," Ryou cunningly changed his facial expression to its typical softness as he turned himself back towards the shorter woman beside him with a smile. Malik had already seen himself out of the kitchen after pushing enough buttons.

"Ah--yes," Cameron nodded with an awkward smile back.

"It was a surprise gift and I wanted to show my appreciation to both Jounouchi and Yugi for treating me so nicely," She hesitated as she thought over her words.

"And I suppose I should thank you and Malik as well. Thank you for accepting me so easily into your home. I know you share it with Yugi but I still am very grateful for your hospitality," She took a step forward and bowed her head a couple of times, picking up the gesture from living in Japan for this long.

Ryou smile grew, bowing to her as well. "You are very welcome Cam. It's a pleasure to have you here with us. Please, there's no need to act like a stranger," He stood up straight again with his eyes dashing to the front door as it opened.

A familiar face graced the threshold. Broad shoulders and long legs standing in the doorway with a hand on the doorknob. "Mrs.Robinson! You're trying to seduce me!" Mokuba's voice chimed in, quoting The Graduate as he stepped in and stared straight at his sister-in-law.

It caused Cameron to spin around and immediately opened her arms wide open for the younger Kaiba cup still in hand. Mokuba grinned and glided over to her as he wrapped his arms around her small waist and hugged tightly.

"I suggest you hurry up and get dressed. Seto is in the car waiting with Isono," He whispered to her once his face was close to hers and slipped away.

She nodded in response, glancing back over at Ryou. "I'll be back," She excused herself and set the cup into the sink.

Cameron headed straight back to Ryou's room and closed the door behind her. She glanced around the room for her bag, quickly finding it on the floor where she plopped it last night and dug through her clothes and began to dress into the outfit that was picked out for her. After being fully clothed she looked into the mirror that hung above the dresser and started to pull her hair back into a high ponytail. She looked at her reflection critically. Her face was tired looking and bloated from all the drinking she did. Her eyes also looked quite red. A sense of disgust set in at this point. If she had a choice she'd like to shower but knowing how impatient her husband was she didn't press for time. She pulled her bag over one shoulder and stepped out only to bump into Malik's built frame. In fright it caused her to stumble back a bit and shot her head up in surprise.

"Going back to your husband I see," The blond sneered, stepping aside for her to head back downstairs.

Cameron narrowed her eyes, getting tired of the cutting remarks. "Listen, for somebody who has little value of others feelings and no self-respect. You have a lot to say. Don't you?" She spewed out. A throbbing headache she already had was not about to become worse thanks to an arrogant punk.

Her anger only amused Malik further with a smirk. "Just make sure you invite me to the divorce alright?" He teased, stepping further back as she slipped past him down the stairs.

"Yeah, okay. Sure. And I'll make sure to wear a red dress to your funeral," She scoffed quietly once her back was turned with her ponytail swaying behind her.

\--

After saying their goodbyes to Ryou who was now the only one left on the first floor. Cameron took his advice to feel more comfortable around the household and hugged the gentle soul of a man in front of her before parting ways with Mokuba. One of the many lavish cars Seto owned was parked in front. Isono could be seen faintly at the steering wheel while another figure was seated in the backseat.

"Why is Seto sitting in the back?" Cameron asked, glancing up at Mokuba as they approached the car.

"He wanted to sit with you. I guess," The younger Kaiba said, opening the backseat for her before hopping back in the passenger's seat.

Cameron raised a brow at the answer finding it rather odd of her husband's choice. Just like everything Seto always choose the top position in everything. He normally wouldn't be caught dead in the backseat as his baby brother always sat in the backseat with his sister-in-law if he wasn't able to sit in front. She tossed her bag in first and crawled in after, slamming the door once she was settled in. Seto had pulled the belongings out of the way so he had the room to fit. He was dressed down, wearing a hoodie and a pair of fashionable joggers. He wore a black cloth surgical mask style mask over his face. It wasn't the first time she had seen him wear it. He mainly wore the mask when he was sick just like the rest of Japan. This was probably one of the stranger things Cameron was still not accustomed to. Though, in this case, it was understood that the mask was to hide the bruise that was still prominent on his jaw and not an attempt to conceal germs from sickness.

"You reek of alcohol," Was the first thing Seto spoke to her as Isono started driving off.

"Thank you. My pores are sweating out the toxins of it," She answered him matter-a-factly.

He gave a grunt in response. His eyes were more attractive this way they were the only part of his face that wasn't fully covered.

"Can you use your makeup to cover my bruise up?" He asked, slowly adding a _'please'_ once he got a cold stare back from his wife.

"Of course. But why? Aren't we going home?" Cameron looked around, staring out all angles of the windows around her only to have her eyes land on her husband's face once more as he slipped off his mask. His jawline was now a deep purple with an outline of a murky shade of yellow around the edges. It was worse than before but thankfully the darker coloring meant that his injury was healing.

"Oh my Goooood Caaaaaam!~" Mokuba howled from the front seat in amusement. His feet were visibly propped up on the dashboard.

"What! I don't know where we're going!" Cameron snapped back, unzipping her canvas bag and pulled out her makeup pouch.

"Don't you ever read your text messages?" Seto grumbled lowly, slumping in his seat a bit so he was more leveled next to his wife in order for her to reach his face better.

"Sometimes! How am I supposed to read my messages when I'm always rushed?" She grumbled back, opening her pallet in her hand and decided to change the makeup routine by using a bit of red lipstick and a smidgen of her color fountain to counteract the darker color of the bruise.

Both brothers let out a playful aspirated sigh of annoyance with Mokuba's being louder and exaggerated for a comedic effect. A soft chuckle was heard from Isono, lowering his face to hide the smirk of endearment he had.

"What! Where are we going!" She huffed back at the two, starting to put the finishing touching on the Older Kaiba's face.

Seto closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I leave for Italy today. I'll be back in four days," He told her, opening his eyes again to meet his wife's who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"What?" He questioned, confused by her concerned expression.

Cameron took a moment to answer, looking downward and organizing the makeup back into the pouch. "What about your bruise?" She asked, glancing back up at him.

"What about it?--"

"You can't walk around like that! I won't be with you to cover it up for you like I do now," She pressed her lips together in a pout.

"I was just going to take it with me and do it myself," He said, shooting a glare at the back of Mokuba's head when he heard a sarcastic laugh escape the younger Kaiba's mouth.

The thought of her husband putting on makeup was an amusing thought having the American woman crack a smile at the visual as well.

"I'll just give you what you need then, okay?" She told him, starting to pull out the things she normally used in the process.

"Thanks," He said simply, reaching over to the passenger's seat to grab onto the tops of Mokuba's shoulders and squeezed them hard as he shook him back and forth.

"Ah!~ Oh Seto! You look so beautiful in your makeup!~" The younger Kaiba belted out with a cackle, trying to slip away from his brother's hold only having Seto squeeze harder and pulled Mokuba into a chokehold and ruffled his hair causing a scream.

Cameron shook her head in disbelief with a smile, enjoying the light atmosphere for a change. She looked around the back for a bag of Seto's and slipped the makeup items into one of the compartments inside his duffle bag once she found it.

\--

The drive to the airport was long. About an hour away, with a quick stop to a coffee shop for a few drinks and some kind of chestnut pastry called Mont Blac. Oddly enough, it was a dessert Cameron was familiar with as it was also a sweet that was also popular in Europe. It wasn't one of her favorites but since it was now autumn chestnut flavored treats were hard to escape. And Mokuba seemed to favor the flavor as he passed pieces of his snack to the back seat of the car to the married couple who had found themselves settled against each other during the duration of the car ride. Despite the bad blood from last night the two seemed to warm back up towards one another. Cameron was the first one to make the move, resting her tired body to his side with Seto silently accepting her with his arm as he wrapped it around the small frame of his wife and iced coffee gripped in his free hand. After finding out that Seto was going to be gone for a few days was already making Cameron feel melancholy. This was not the first time her husband was leaving for a business trip and it wouldn't be his last. She was quite used to having him missing though, at the time it felt different somehow. Perhaps it was the guilt she felt about the destructive behavior she was displaying recently. And how even though he still felt cold towards her he still was welcoming to her. The struck of heartache caused her to curl closer to her husband's larger form. Stretching her arms across his chest and held him close. There was a delayed reaction as Seto soon responded by pressing his palm to the nape of her neck and stroked the end of her long ponytail. He fiddled through his phone, keeping his eyes on the screen and kissed the top of his wife's head. The sign of affection caused Cameron to melt, nuzzling her face into the fabric of his hoodie.

The car soon came to an abrupt stop in one of the reserved parking spaces of the airport. The younger Kaiba swung forward in his seat, gawking out the window with a frown.

"Damn, The pap is here," Mokuba exclaimed, turning to look at Seto who was gathering his belongings.

The older Kaiba quickly stared out the window, getting a good view of the cluster of photographers chasing some unknown celebrities from afar that Seto could really care less about. Isono stepped out of the car first at the mention of the paparazzi. Mokuba stayed seated until his older brother got out the car. It was a cue that had been embedded into since a child. This teaching was also passed down to Cameron, she was the last one to step out of the car since she was not used to the bombardment of flashing cameras and cutthroat CEO preferred not having his wife all over the tabloids. The paparazzi started to flock over once Seto stepped out of the car. He didn't bother with the mask now that his bruise was well hidden under foundation. Mokuba got out next and waited for Cameron as she was the last one step out from the back. The four of them form a tight group, keeping the short brunette in the middle with Isono and Seto on each side of her and Mokuba taking the lead in front as they made their way to the airport entrance. The younger Kaiba was the least bothered by the public attention making sarcastic comments and gestures to the freelancers once in a while. Most cameras were pointed towards Seto who ignored them completely, staring straight ahead with a hand gently gripping the petite shoulder of his wife. Once a photographer became too close for comfort he glared daggers at them and swiftly picked up the pace, hustling his family into the airport finally.

\--

Before boarding the plane Seto took the time to say his farewells to both Mokuba and Cameron. He gave the younger Kaiba a quick hug along with a short lecture about keeping focus on the company work. Which the other brother responded with continuous nodding and agreeing to everything that was said just to reassure him. After a loving pat on the shoulder, Seto soon turned his attention back to his wife.

"Be safe, okay?" Cameron smiled coyly up at her husband as he stared calmly at her.

"I want you to take the time to think about what you said last night," His stare was quite serious but not threatening like it typical was when he gave her orders.

Cameron slowly nodded. "I don't remember much from last night. But I remember enough that I said some piercing things. And I'm sorry," She lowered her voice, glancing around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"Yes, well. We can discuss it when I get back. I don't have time to address everything at this moment," He said, turning his head when he felt Mokuba stepping closer to them.

"Can we agree when Seto comes home that you guys can stand on some common ground with each other?" He added into the conversion finally.

Cameron bit her lip, recalling the confession she had with Mokuba last night and nodded. "Yes, I promise to work better on my temper. I am truly sorry," She bowed her head in shame.

"And I promise to be more open and um, less critical than I have been," Seto spoke unsure and slowly as he made eye contact with his small American wife.

"I think we should make this official," She said, holding out her pinky to him.

Seto flustered his brows together in confusion not understanding her gesture at first until his eyes brightened as he remembered. "I swear Cameron, you're so childish," He smirked as he latched pinkies with her.

She leaned over and kissed their two fingers. "And a kiss to seal the deal," She flashed a smiled at him.

His eyes softened down on her, slipping his hand away and pulled her into a hug which leads Mokuba back into the mix and quickly wrapped his arms around both. This caused Cameron to squish herself closer to both of the Kaiba brothers. Seto took a step back from the sudden push, keeping a tight grip on the two of them now and kissed both their heads before slipping away.

"Alright, let me go before you two make me miss my flight," He said, starting to turn away.

Cameron reached over and took a hold of her husband's hand causing him to turn slightly. "Can I walk with you to the exit please?"

He turned his face away with a nod, gripping her hand gently. "Very well," He answered.

\--

While they strolled along towards the last corridor Cameron finally spoke. "You never asked me why I chose to replace your painting with those photos," She said softly.

Seto stayed silent at first, calculating her question before answering. "I told you we'd talk about this when I get back from my trip," He kept his tone soft as well, glancing down at her from the side of his eyes.

"Do you know why I decided to make the photo of me you and Mokuba the center of attention?" She asked.

He let out a heavy sigh. "You mean despite the effort of you being spiteful? It's because it's a family photo. It has all three of us. That's why you choose it," He slowly came to a stop as they made it to the end of the crowded hallway.

"No, the main reason is the colors we're wearing in the picture," She squeezed his hand not wanting to part ways.

"I don't understand? What do the colors have to do with it?" He narrowed his eyes a bit.

"It's because you're wearing blue and I'm wearing red. What color is Mokuba wearing?" She started to sway slightly, playfully pulling at his arm.

"Purple, that's his favorite color. I don't get it? What are you getting on about?" He kept his cool but was getting tired the runaround of this game Cameron seemed to be playing.

"Blue and red make purple. Do you understand now?" She said, gently slipping her hand away finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The idea of the colors was actually taken from Cam's original plot with her actual husband Kano. Cam was the color red and Kano the color blue. They had a daughter named Anna who was represented as the color purple. I figured since in cannon Kaiba's colors are blue and white and Dsod Mokuba is dressed in purple. It was a good way to recycle the idea. I used the colors to show what traits they have as characters. (Cause I'm cheesy like that!)
> 
> Cam is red: Passion, aggression, seduction, desire.  
> Kaiba is blue: Calmness, frigid, responsible, caring.  
> Mokuba is purple: Creative, youthful, individuality, intuitive.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter so fast I didn't realize that I wrote 10 pages (In google docs) And it's basically just sort of filler? There are bits that are important. Just not one of my favorite chapters. I still love Yugi though. <3
> 
> Aidan, the rabbit is from a story I wrote back in 2008. With Ben and Cam. The two met on a train and where Ben soon developed a crush on Cam. Which she doesn't know about and they find a pink rabbit left behind on one of the seats. The stuffed animal is based off a real stuffed bunny I own. His real name is Melvin. At the time, I was only like--13 maybe? I don't remember. I was a kid basically. So I didn't think too hard about how cringy self-inserting was. 
> 
> Here is a photo of what Aidan looks like in real life: http://greenteajunky911.tumblr.com/post/173391023632/my-favorite-rabbit-melvin (The tumblr page is also mine. I post sh*tty grudgy/emo stuff. Please ignore)

The back of Cameron was turned, facing the opening to the broad doorway that leads out of the living room. She stared up at the framed photos that hung over the fireplace. Where the divine Blue Eyes hung for years, protecting its spot on the wall. Her gold eyes focused more on the picture front and center. The magazine cover, remembering the last words she said to her husband before he boarded his plane. It was quite a shock to still see these photos here. The small brunette thought for sure that once Seto had found the hiding spot of his prized possession would have been nailed right back up on the wall. She didn't see it last night but there was actually a big square clean spot from where the frame covered the wall all of these years. Showing that it must have been hanging in the same spot for ages. The pictures looked rather silly now. The Blue Eyes definitely had left its mark, telling a story of its own with the block of beige that was three shades lighter than the rest of the walls in the living room. Cameron dragged the footstool towards the stone hearth of the fireplace and climbed on top of it as she proceeded to slip the framed photos down. The lonely silence was disturbed by a familiar voice.

"I'm heading off now Cam," Mokuba said in a soft questionable tone as he walked into the living room, raising a brow while he watched his sister-in-law as his fingers twisted his KC cufflinks in place to secure them in the slit of his sleeve.

Cameron held the frames to her chest, looking over her shoulder to get a view of Mokuba dressed in his suit for work. He looked very dapper with his hair tied back neatly. Getting a hunch that he was probably off to meet some high-class businessmen.

"Why do you think Seto decided to keep my pictures up?" She asked, weakly in curiosity.

Mokuba's cheeks puffed at the question, letting out a sigh as he strolled over towards her. "Uh, I'm pretty sure it's bro way of telling you he's willing to compromise with you. Since you told him you wanted a divorce," In a lack of better words, the younger Kaiba sounded put out to the explanation.

Cameron blinked with eyes widening. "I-I don't even remember saying that," She frowned, turning a bit once Mokuba slipped a hand out of his trouser pocket and offered it to her.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you too. You were pretty drunk last night," He answered somberly, gripping her hand tightly and helped the short brunette hop off the stool.

"And I guess that's why he was acting so comfortable with me in the car?" She set the frames down on the loveseat and crossed her arms, standing in front of her brother-in-law's large build.

Mokuba shrugged. "Most likely. But I should thank you too. Because I got to talk to Seto about Hyori and he was extremely lenient with me about dating her. Whatever you said to him he took your advice. So, thank you," He smiled gently at her.

She nodded. "Please, I don't deserve a thank you. You know how your brother is. A whole chorus can preach to him and he won't give a damn," She slowly smiled back, glancing down a bit as she secretly felt a bit of pride in both helping Mokuba and having her husband finally listen to her for once.

"Are you planning to put the Blue Eyes back on the wall? Because I think you should wait til bro comes home and let him do it," He advised, taking a good look at the ugly clean spot the painting left.

Cameron perked her head up and stared up at the same spot. "I don't know. That light colored spot looks terrible. So I wanted to take the photos off not to bring any more attention to it," She explained.

Mokuba chuckled slightly. "It's an eyesore regardless. Don't you think?" He said honestly, glancing back over at her and stretched his arm out to pat her head.

She took a step back and swatted him away playfully. "Watch it! Or I'll make you help paint the wall!" She pointed her index finger at him dramatically.

Mokuba let out a fake gasp, placing his hand on his chest. "Blasphemy!" He joked, taking a glance down at his watch which was the matching one to Seto's having his initials MK engraved on the face of it.

"I should get going. I have to fill in and play golf with some old fogeys," He flicked his arm to straighten out his sleeve.

"You're going to play golf in a suit?" Cameron cracked a smile in a bit of suspicion.

"We're going to some kind of restaurant first. And then play golf," The younger Kaiba answered, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"How's it feel to cover your brother's social activities?" She started walking out of the living room, following behind the young man.

"Eh, it's not too bad. Though, sometimes I'm not taken seriously because I'm younger, less experienced brother," He answered and opened the door to the front, giving Cameron a hug goodbye before stepping out.

She gripped him tightly. "But you're his heart. And that's all that matters," She whispered slowly, loosening her grip on him.

\--

After a long relaxing shower, Cameron braided her hair back and bent down to open one of her middle drawers. She stopped suddenly, letting go of the grip she had on the handle as she stared in awe at Aidan the rabbit that was neatly placed back on top of the dresser where it was originally displayed. She stood up straight and kept her eyes locked on the aged stuffie. Her husband was not one for words when it came to his final decisions. He didn't have to tell Cameron what this meant. Leaving the photos untouched and returning her plush toy back to her was a silent way to announce the ultimatum he had made. He was letting her choose what she wanted. In a way, it stung. The older Kaiba had no qualms in arguing things out especially with his wife. It was a clear statement that it was either him or the past that Cameron seemed to keep running back to.

Cameron bit her lip, glancing up at her reflection in the vanity mirror that was attached to the dresser mounted on the wall a moment before turning her head away and went back to pulling out a set of clothes to get dressed in. She pulled an oversized t-shirt over her head. It was best to put little effort into her appearance as she was not looking forward to going out anywhere with her viscous hangover lingering. The American woman stayed perched on the edge of her bed in thought.

Her husband was an intelligent man, no doubt about it. His decisions on leaving for Italy was more than just to look at possible property for a new Kaiba Land. It was to show that he was in control of the situation. It was an escape. It was to get away from the chaos that was their marriage. He wanted Cameron to sit in solitude like she was now. The silence was the best way to display authority. She both hated and loved Seto for being cunning enough to make her follow his orders in a 'read in between the lines way.'

Cameron stayed lounged, falling into a light sleep and awoke an hour or so later from the Doraemon theme song. A ringtone set up by Seto, of all people as a joke one night after some heavy drinking. From what the American woman could recall, the choice of the song was to poke fun at Cameron for being childish. At least, in the cynical CEO's drunken mind it seemed clever at the time. She squinted, rolling over onto her belly and stretched over for her phone that was on the end table. Isono's name lit up the screen. The exhausted brunette let out a heavy sigh before answering.

"Hello?" She mumbled, slumping into the softness of the mattress.

Her bodyguard's voice could be heard faintly through the phone as he asked Mrs.Kaiba where she was and how he was waiting outside to escort her to a meeting regarding fundraising Kaiba Corp was contacted by an independent private school. After all the commotion from last night, the meeting had completely slipped her mind. Cameron shot up from the bed, taking a look at the time on her phone before standing. Before she made an attempt to get ready she asked Isono if there was any possible way to cancel the appointment as she was feeling under the weather. Which, the wise Kaiba Corp official knew better that she was referring to her hangover. Which his answer was short and sweet only replying back with.

_"Do you think Mr.Kaiba would approve of that?"_

That was enough of a push for The American woman to agree. There was no point on stepping on Seto's toes so soon. Especially since he left with things weighing his mind. It was best to keep him happy. For Isono's sake as well. With the phone still placed on her ear, she sashayed towards her closet that housed her more formal and expensive clothing.

"Give me ten to fifteen minutes just to get dressed and put on some makeup. Okay? Sorry for making you wait Isono," She kept the phone snug against her shoulder as she talked, leafing through hangers of dresses that might be appropriate to wear.

Cameron tossed the phone onto the bed and pulled out an off-white shirt dress, looking very much like a formal shirt a man would typically wear but having a cinched in waist to give it a more flattering shape to the female frame. She slipped the garment over her body in front of the full-length mirror and started to fasten the black shiny buttons of the dress. Halfway up, her hands stopped as she stared softly at part of the reddish purple hickey that poked out from the side of her bra. That melancholy feeling struck her once more, shaking her head to snap out it as she finished dressing. Wrapping a thin belt around her waist to give her outfit more character before pulling on a pair of black pumps before rushing out of the bedroom with her pocketbook. There was no need to fuss with her hair as it was already braided and since her husband had most of her makeup she settled just for mascara and some light blush she could apply in the car.

When Cameron was halfway out the door her body suddenly came to a halt as Aidan caught her eye. She spun around and walked back in, grabbing the rabbit by the ears and tossed him into one of the bottom drawers to her dresser as she quickly exited back out of the bedroom.

\--

Thankfully for the short brunette that the meeting was being held at the main Kaiba Corp building. There was a sense of security there as it was considered her home turf now. She gave a little bow to Isono when she stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her and spun around to walk up the concrete sidewalk. Passing by the statue of the infamous Blue Eyes, knowing that if that beast could talk. They'd have words.

It'd be a lie if Cameron didn't admit to being a bit disappointed knowing that her husband wasn't present in the building. She'd only visited a handful of times when she had to. Finding Seto very annoying when he was at work. Knowing that he acted more arrogant and rude as he felt more comfortable that way. It made him think that his employees and competition would respect him better. Which in many ways he was right. Though, his wife knew that most of her husband's ill-mannered behavior was all an illusion. One does not inherit these traits. They are taught and with the help of Gozaburo, Seto had learned that lashing out made people afraid. And that fear controlled people.

By the time she made her way to the small conference room, everybody was gathered at the table. Only a couple talking amongst themselves. A powerpoint was already set up and displayed on the wall. It was quite embarrassing for the wife of Seto Kaiba to be late. Not only that but Cameron must have looked like she had a rough night as some of the guests for the fundraiser asked if she was feeling well. And maybe she should have something to eat. Which the American woman politely declined. To put it bluntly, the whole ordeal of the meeting was dreadful. The powerpoint seemed to drag on and the main speaker talked so slow that you couldn't get a word in edgewise. Cameron had practically bullshitted her way through the whole thing. Only skimming through their requests that were written down on paper. Seeing that Kaiba Corp had already donated money and the school seemed to be holding up well enough on their own financially. Mrs.Kaiba only settled for barely half of what the school requested. She'd rather not commit at all but wanting to keep a good rapport with them it was best to shell out some money.

Considering that the group had caught on to Cameron's lethargic position she escaped the conference fairly easy. Being one of the first to leave the room. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since this morning in the car when she shared some pastry with the Kaiba brothers. She decided to strut her way towards the cafeteria. Having to walk past a large frame of glass first that held a long countertop table and stools attached to it on the other side. There were a few employees that were eating their lunch. The small brunette didn't take notice at first but her eyes caught with Yugi's who was sitting right on the other side of the glass wall with a soft drink to go cup in his hand and headphones plugged into his ears. Both looked away from each other nonchalantly not recognizing one another at first. And took a double take of each other in unison as Cameron's stopped in her tracks and shrieked in excitement.

"Yugi!"She waved gleefully and trotted into the nosy room with a grin.

The eccentric man twirled around in his stool, smiling back at Cameron and waved her over once she was inside.

"Hey! How are you doing?" He greeted her. His hair was tied back today which Cameron thought looked more attractive on him. He was wearing a purple collar shirt that looked too big on him with a formal vest buttoned over it.

"I'm alright," She said, greeting him back with a hug. Yugi was used to her outward affection now that he no longer found her close contact awkward anymore as he returned the gesture.

"You look so tired! I hope you get some rest," He told her gingerly, watching her climb onto the stool next to him.

"I'll be fine. I slept in a bit and some more in the car when we drove to the airport to drop off Seto," She said, crossing her leg and rested an arm on the table top.

"Kaiba went to the airport? For nothing bad, I hope," The rattling of ice was heard coming from Yugi's straw as he finished the last of his soda before setting it back down.

"Nothing bad. He wanted to look at some land in Italy for a possible Kaiba Land in Europe. He's practically been talking about since we've been married," She shrugged, glancing over at her new found friend with tired eyes.

"How's Jou doing? Is he okay? I heard him sobbing last night. I know it was probably from all the drinking but it was still pretty concerning," She gripped a hand onto her knee and leaned her head back to close her eyes. Hoping it would help the pounding in her head subsided.

"He's still upset about Mai. They recently were back to seeing each other. She broke it off a week ago. I think the alcohol released the stress he was holding inside. And then seeing Malik kinda set it all off," He propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm.

"Yeah, I can relate," She mumbled softly.

"What?" Yugi perked up, turning slightly to face her.

"Nothing," She smiled as she opened her eyes again.

"It's not Malik's fault for why Mai doesn't want to commit. Even if he's the main cause of her trauma. It's up to Mai to recover from the past. Jou can only be a support to her. He can't heal her. She has to do it herself," As Cameron explained this she mentally reminded herself that these are the words she should be living by. Which she couldn't understand why it was so hard to take her own advice.

Yugi nodded as she spoke. "No, you're absolutely right. I tell him the same thing. And so does Anzu--my girlfriend. She's more equipped with dealing with this kind of stuff than I am, to be honest," He grinned at this own words.

"Most women are. I'd listen to her," She kept her content expression to him, allowing her eyes to close again only to have them open when her stomach let out another loud and slow growl.

Yugi grinned at her coy expression. "Hey, can I get you something to eat? I owe you for the last time."

\--

Today was the day that Cameron actually took advantage of the power she had as a Kaiba. Instead of heading home to only be greeted by an empty mansion with the exception of the help. Which she can only socialize with them so much before feeling like a burden. She made herself comfortable in the same cubicle where Yugi worked. Nobody dares say anything to her as The King of Games was head manager of his gaming department. Seto wouldn't admit how much he actually favors his friend. Also claiming that Yugi was just another worker. Nothing more. Nothing less. Instead of being locked up in the study in the library alone the American woman decided to look over her lessons on the spare computer in the small space. It was a cubicle that would normally be shared but wasn't since Yugi was considered the leader of his team.

Cameron felt like a high school student, skipping class to hangout out with a friend who was in a different room then her. And that's basically what Yugi was like to her. He reminded her of the good old days. The best friend you'd have in school when you needed help. She could understand how he became Seto's confident even after all the cruelty he put him and his friends through over the years. Yugi was a kind soul. Only a person with his traits could really get on with her husband and understand him. And because of that, it made Cameron fond of the gentle rebel. Being close to Yugi made her feel closer to her husband.

\--

Wanting to get out of Yugi's hair Cameron finally decided to leave after looking through some of her Japanese lessons, using the flamboyant male as a crutch for supporting her pronunciation on her Japanese. Using him as a substitute for her tutor that she ditched this afternoon. The short brunette would announce each word slowly with Yugi's back turned to her as he faced the opposite way, his fingers carefully tapping away at his keyboard and answered Cameron back slowly in his native tongue. He was more focused on his own tasks.

She abruptly got up from the extra chair and said her goodbyes. She strutted out of the office with some of the fellow workers catching a glimpse of her before she was out the door. When she was on the first floor is when she called Isono to give her a lift back to the Kaiba manor.

\--

She crashed face first into the bed once she was home. Her pumps were sloppily discharged by the doorway of her room where she stepped out of them. Cameron fell asleep fairly quickly, into a deep slumber. It didn't hit her until she woken up by one of the maids. The small brunette stirred and sluggishly sat up. Staring at the middle-aged woman in somewhat of a daze.

"I'm so sorry to wake you Mrs.Kaiba," She bowed to her quickly. Cameron always felt a bit of guilt when the help did this. She hated to have them feel like they were lesser than her.

"Mr.Kaiba--erm, Mokuba had called to ask if you were alright? He said he had called your personal phone several times and received no answer," The maid stayed standing tall, hands held neatly in front of her as she stood patiently for Cameron to reconnect with reality.

"Mokuba you said?" She squinted and blinked a few times, leaning her hands back into the comforter of the bed.

"Mhm, he was trying to reach you, Ma'am. He wanted me to tell you that you don't have to worry about cooking dinner. He won't be able to come home early tonight. He said he has to much work he has to cover for Mr.Kaiba," She exclaimed gently, frowning in concern at Cameron's confused state.

"But I can get the kitchen staff to make you something tasty for dinner if you like Mrs.Kaiba. You should really rest," She informed in a motherly tone.

Cameron rubbed her face before looking up back at the maid. "That won't be necessary. I wouldn't want the staff to put in a whole meal just for me. Thank you kindly though," She forced a weak smile, still trying to shake off the groggy feeling she still had.

The maid opened her mouth to add on to the topic but quickly sealed her lips back together. Most likely afraid to try to persuade the lady of the house as she was used to Seto Kaiba's scolding. Her husband wasn't terrible to his help. But, just like how he was on an everyday basis he was very demanding and didn't like to repeat himself. This also regarded being asked the same thing more than once. If he said no thank you. That was the end of it.

"Very well then. If you change your mind please don't be afraid to come down to the kitchen," She bowed once more before turning away and stopped in mid-step, bending down to pick up the pumps Cameron had left on the floor.

"No, Miss, please. Leave them there I will get them," She called out the older woman, quickly getting up from the bed and meeting her halfway.

The maid had already had the shoes in her hand, standing up straight in a bit of confusion as Cameron slipped them away from her grasp.

"What is your name?" She asked her.

The maid hesitated, not expecting that to be asked. "Keiko," She answered.

"Thank you, Keiko. I appreciate your help. Are you a mother?" Cameron tilted her head to her.

Keiko blinked at the sudden interest that this strange American woman had with her. "Yes, Ma'am."

"I can tell. It must be nice," A sincere smile grew on her tired face.

\--

It was a lonely night for Cameron. She had called the younger Kaiba right after Keiko had left her room. She had a short pleasant conversion with Mokuba getting a few laughs in before hanging up. She felt for the kid. Seto was always coming home late because he bit off more than he could chew and now all of his work was passed down to his little brother who would never question or turn him down. Still not wanting to bother the kitchen staff Cameron settled for one of the many instant ramen bowls that were in the cabinet. Cracking an egg and adding slices of green onion just to make it more substantial. She ate in her room, at her desk and watched the live stream from last night that was saved on Jounouchi's vlog page. It was about an hour long and she listened to all of it, mainly using it for background noise as she wandered onto the other things. In the meantime, Yugi had contacted her through one of the messengers to invite her over tomorrow night to hang out and play a couple of games with him and the roommates. She happily responded with a yes. Having a sense of content soak into her chest. Being very grateful for Yugi's friendship.

The night ended off on a good note. Cameron was actually thrilled by getting a phone call from her husband. He didn't have much to say but wanted to say goodnight as he remembered the exact time difference.

"I'm glad to hear from you," She felt her cheek pressing against the screen of her phone when she smiled. She was still seated in her desk chair and leaned forward to her laptop and paused the live stream feed.

"Really now? That's a first," Seto's voice was just as dry as ever along with a hint of a chuckle at the end of his sentence.

She ignored his comment, not in the mood for banter. "Do you remember enough Italian?" She asked, not sure if her husband even knew that langue out of the six languages he already knew.

"Barely," He answered back gruffly. God, his deep voice had so much appeal to her now. She knew it was from the loneliness. She had heard her husband's voice too many times on the phone to where she tried to avoid it.

A giggle echoed through the phone on Cameron's end. "I'm sure you're doing just fine," She leaned back in her chair and twisted a piece of hair around her index finger.

"Of course I am! And I hope you're doing fine. I bet that hangover really taught you a lesson. Hasn't it Cameron?" His voice husked in amusement knowing that she had suffered from a massive headache.

"You have no idea," She glanced back at the laptop screen to send a reply back to Yugi who now added her in a group chat with Malik and Ryou.

"It's getting late over there. You should really get some rest. I don't want you slacking just because I'm not there. Do you understand?" His voice lowered to come across more stern.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll do just fine. It's hard to slack off when you can literally view every update through your computer," She rolled her eyes, trying to focus on the conversion about Dungeon and Dragons going on in the chat.

"You're right. Smart girl. Have a good night, sleep well," He told her smoothly.

"Good night Seto, you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doraemon is a very popular children's anime that has a robot cat. :)
> 
> Aidan is actually the name of Cam's firstborn son in one of her alternate plots.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While editing the chapter I was hoping that Cam doesn't come across mary-sueish because of how everybody acts overly caring about her? I don't do it to make everybody love her. Because honestly, Ryou and Yugi are already gentle/friendly characters. I try to follow their actual archetype. While Marik has more of a fascination with her. When I first decided to make him a main character I sort of wanted to make him a red herring. Even though Marik no longer as his Yami controlling him anymore I can still imagine him still being mischievous. Like, just wanting to test Cam out because of her arranged marriage. But I haven't decided how troublesome I want to make him. Because he seems very caring towards Ryou. (I love me some angstshipping I tell ya!) 
> 
> There's actually more that was supposed to be in this chapter but I decided to put it in the next chapter so this thing wasn't 100 pages. >>; Anyway, ENJOY!~ xo

It was early afternoon when Cameron had squeezed her small body out of the chaos of the crowds that lead out of the front of the train station. This marked the first time in a very long while where Mrs.Kaiba was recognized. It was by a pair of teenagers, still dressed in their school uniforms. It struck Cameron funny to be told that they only noticed from The Nerd Herd live stream. They asked the short brunette if she was going to a guest often. She gave an honest answer of saying she wasn’t sure. But was happy to join if she was asked again. She avoided the questions that were asked about her husband only giving evasive answers like she was taught to. Answering back with questions. Such as if they were duelist too. Both gave an ecstatic yes. Making Cameron grin. 

It was nice to see that Seto was still a type of idol in the gaming world along with Jounouchi who always seemed to be an underdog. 

Before parting ways with the school kids they asked for a photo. Being hesitate at first Cameron nodded in agreement after giving it a moment of thought. Mokuba said showing the fans attention was always the best way of showing appreciation. And not only that, the publicity of Seto Kaiba’s wife would boost Jounouchi channel ranking as well. Letting them snap a selfie with her, having Cameron be centered in the middle while the nerdy looking teens flashed the peace sign on each side of her.

Cameron quickly made her exit, waving goodbye as she finally made it outside to the front. She adjusted the heavy tote-bag over her shoulder. It held all the ingredients to make pizza. Which she thought was a good choice of snack to contribute to the gathering at Yugi’s apartment. The thought of it made her remember the spot Ryou told her he’d meet her. The American woman stood in the middle of the giant pavement sidewalk. Pulling her phone out of her jeans jacket pocket that covered bare shoulders of her navy blue striped maxi dress. She stared there dumbfounded, scrolling through the group chat from last night. Only to realize that Malik had offered to pick her up instead so Ryou didn’t have to rush with setting up for the Dungeon & Dragons game. With squinted eyes, Cameron looked around before spotting the blond boozer at the curb of where the sidewalk met the street. Not the area where Ryou said he’d meet up with her, mind you. The Arabic was half seated on his motorcycle, black combat boots touching the ground and ring covered fingers still firmly gripping the handlebars. He wore a helmet, sliding the glass part up once the two caught eyes. He waved her over. Only to have her strolled towards him unenthused.

“Wearing all black? Where’s the funeral?” She asked dryly, stopping in front of the bike and stared at him blankly.

His smirk couldn’t be seen but Cameron could feel it the slick tone of his voice. “Right here, babe! Where’s my red dress you said you’d wear?” He patted the back seat for her to hop onto.

“There better not be any funerals while I’m on this thing,” She sneered, looking over the state of the bike and stared straight into Malik’s eyes seeing that they were a clear color today.

“You’re on this earth today, right? You haven’t been drinking?” She asked, cautiously.

“Yeah! What do you take me for? A drunk?” He maneuvered the helmet off his head, showing his unsatisfied frown before handing it over to her.

“Yes, actually I do,” She answered bluntly, taking the helmet from him and climbed up on the back and sat down.

“Yeah, well. I’m not. I don’t drive drunk,” He ran his fingers through his bleach blond locks to smooth his helmet hair down. He waited a moment until Cameron was situated. Once she had the helmet on and seemed secure he revved up the engine of his bike before speeding off.

The short brunette stiffened from fear, not being on a motorcycle in years ever since the break-up with her ex Jason. At one of the red lights, Malik looked back at her with wind blown hair.

“You can hold onto my waist if you feel safer. I’m not going to bite you,” He said, running his fingers through his hair as he waited for the light to change.

There was a long pause from Cameron as she thought, she would feel more secure holding onto Malik’s waist but not fully trusting him and knowing her husband’s disapproval of this whole thing she declined.

“No, I’m okay. Thanks--” She let out a small squeal, hugging her bag against her chest while Malik sped up and passed by the oncoming cars. She closed her eyes tightly, hunching her back to where her head touched his upper back slightly.

There was no conversion between the two. Whether it was because Malik was focusing on driving or they knew to well that the conversion would result mean-spirited. After a bit of bobbing and weaving a few times while the Arabic dodged oncoming traffic she swallowed her pride and gave in, finally wrapping her arms around his taut waist.

\--

Cameron was taken by surprise when she didn’t get any kind of teasing from the blond after clinging herself to him halfway to the apartment. And realized that maybe Malik had much more on his mind then to pick on her for frivolous things as when the two walked into the front hallway of the apartment he strutted his way straight towards Ryou who was in the living room seated at a large card table that had many of the Dungeons & Dragons pieces in boxes, covering the the table top. Many of the little props Cameron recognized from the shelf as many others in the box were blank. Ryou was carefully painting details on a tiny treasure chest with a small plate that had dime sized colors of paint on it. He was so concentrated that Malik’s gentle squeeze on his shoulder didn’t budge him at first.

“Hello,” Ryou forced in a small voice, keeping his gaze on his work.

“I brought Mrs.Kaiba,” He told him, rubbing his neck lovingly before traipsing into the galley kitchen where there was a covered tray of different kinds of onigiri lined up neatly.

Ryou perked his head up, looking ahead where the short brunette was standing in the doorway of the living room with her tote-bag still in hand.

“Hi!” She waved a bit awkwardly with a smile.

“I brought ingredients to make pizza,” She glanced over at Malik who was chewing a mouthful of kombu and rice of an onigiri he still held in his hand, offering some to Cameron.

Ryou smiled when she announced her meal plan. “That sounds great Cam. I made rice balls earlier. Yugi said he’d bring some snacks home when he came back from work,” He watched Cameron step into the kitchen with Malik, quickly glancing back to his painting.

“I thought the pizza was a good idea because it’s so expensive to buy here. And to be honest, it’s not even good,” She said, setting her bag down on the counter and turned to Malik.

“What kind is that?” She gestured to the onigiri.

Malik shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s vegetarian,” He said, taking another bite of his snack before placing it on a napkin and tilted his head as Cameron started to line up the items for the pizza.

Her nose crinkled at the request and shook her head no, declining the offer. “I thought Yugi was going to get out early since we were going to play the game soon,” She questioned, tucking a piece of loose hair behind her ear that kept falling free.

“He texted me and said he’ll try his best to get out earlier. He said he definitely won’t stay all the way til six,” The white-haired male glanced back up towards the kitchen.

“Also, Cam. When you’re ready I have a few blank game pieces. You can pick one that you’d like to play as and paint it. If you like,” He told her pleasantly.

“Yes! That sounds awesome! Just give me a minute. And I’ll come over,” The American girl was now crouched, body lowered to the bottom cabinets in search of a flat pan for her pizza.

Malik stood in the back of her, arms crossed as he watched her carefully. Once he saw her struggling as an avalanche of aged looking pots and pans fell out all at once making a thundering racquet as the metal hit the floor. The Arabic finally stepped in after a squeal escaped the brunette, kneeling down beside her to grab a flimsy looking cookie sheet from the far back of the cabinet.

“Go see Ryou. I’ll do this,” He said, standing back up.

“Oh, do you know how to cook?” She looked up at Malik in surprise, starting to set the cooking ware back into the cabinet.

“Not really, but I like to,” He said, setting the flatted pan onto the oven top and picked up the packaged dough that was in the tote bag.

“All you have to do for the base is flour the pan and stretch the dough out,” She said, closing the door after setting everything back into the cabinet and stood.

He fiddled with the packaging of the dough at first, resulting to using his teeth to break the plastic.”Got it. It can’t be that hard,” He said, starting to squeeze the dough messily out of the hole he made from it’s wrapping.

Cameron stared at him in amusement before speaking. “You have to flour it before you place the spread it. I said, or the pizza is just going to stick to the pan when it’s cooked,” She stepped out of the kitchen and walked over to the card table where Ryou was still seated.

“Aw, fuck,” Malik grumbled to himself, starting to pick up the glob of dough off the pan and into his hands as it started to stick to his fingers, having one of his rings be consumed into the mess of stickiness.

\--

Malik was willing stuck with Cameron’s cooking task as the American woman stayed seated with Ryou at the table with the spread of arts and crafts. She had fished an already carved figurine from the cardboard box. It was a little wooden elf dressed in a maiden dress. Cameron thought it was fitting for her, even if it was cliche to have character piece be a small healer. The duration was spent between finishing the last touches on the little figurines and going back into the kitchen to help guide Malik on the cooking. Which at this point he was the very least impressed with the short brunette coming back to interfere after he had basically finished up the job.

“Listen, pip-squeak, nobody asked you to come back. Alright?” The blond, stood in front of the oven door to prevent Cameron near it.

“Pip-squeak!” She squawked, spinning around to face Ryou who was still in the living room.

“Ryou! Can I punch him!” She called out.

The pale nerd let out a chuckle, taking his time to get up from his chair. “Of course! Punch him hard just for me!” He answered her joyously, using a handful of crumpled up paper towels to wipe his hands clean of paint.

The answer made Malik snap his head back. “What a trader you are!--” He winced, stepping forward past as he felt Cameron’s small knuckles hit against the flesh of his arm.

“Ow! What the fuck! You hit pretty hard for your size!” He rubbed his skin and caught her fist as she tried to punch him again.

“Wait! I didn’t give a punch for Ryou yet!” She swung her free arm at him only to have Malik quickly catch that first as well and squeeze at her small hands tightly.

Without an inkling of warning, Ryou crept up behind Malik’s broader build and grab hold of his tanned arms, holding the befuddled Egyptian in some sort of a hug. As he made an effort to cuddle against his strong back as an attempt to keep him still enough.

He stared at him from behind letting Ryou monopolize his arms. “You’re lucky I like you. You know that?” He smirked, letting out a small groan once Cameron gave him a good punch in the chest.

Before she could continue the roughhousing with the two her phone started playing the Doraemon theme song. The small American shuffled backward with a grin before Malik could come back with any repercussions being thankful once she saw that his attention was of course drawn towards Ryou instead. Watching the blond break hold from the scrawny man and quickly cornered him in between the of the wall and kitchen cabinets. She turned away to retrieve her phone before she was able to get a glimpse of the couple’s horseplaying. It took a moment of frantic looking around before she realized that her phone was in the pocket of her jeans jacket. Her screen lit up with a photo of her husband’s face on it. A handsome headshot of Seto wearing sunglasses that was taken during their honeymoon. Before answering she glanced behind her at Malik and Ryou who were no longer play wrestling but both headed to the living room with the Arabic’s fingers lingering against the small of the thinner male’s back.

Cameron headed towards the front hallway where it was quiet and excluded. When she answered the call it opened up with a video call. A small screen with a side view of Seto shirtless, looking into a bathroom mirror as he stared at his reflection critically. He had the few items of makeup lined up on the hotel sink counter with a brush in hand, smoothing the shades of colors in to mask his healing injury.

“What took you so long to answer?” He gruffly asked, finally turning around to face the camera on his phone that seemed to be propped up on the top of the sink as well.

“I couldn’t find my phone. Sorry,” She smiled coyly, sitting down on the last step of the staircase that leads upstairs to the bedrooms. Hoping that her husband wouldn’t take notice of the new backdrop.

He rolled his eyes, setting aside the brush. “You never have your phone with you,” He mumbled in disgust, taking another long look at himself in the mirror before turning back to her.

“Does it look like it’s blended enough?” He asked, touching his jaw gently.

Cameron stared hard at the screen, nodding slowly. “I mean, by how my phone is making you look. It seems blended enough. Is that why you called?” She asked.

“Of course! Why else would I call?” With his harsh tone and the nerve to give her that cold eyes even from across the world. Even though she hated that stare she did long to see them in person again.

“Because you could have missed me,” She shrugged, holding the phone on top of her knee so the camera was leveled enough for him to see her.

He paused for a long while, realizing how crass he must have sounded. He leaned off camera to pick up a white collar shirt and slipped it over his muscular torso.

“Perhaps, I did miss you,” He softened his tone, starting to button his shirt on camera as he glanced down to make sure all the clasps were lined up even.

This made Cameron smile. “I miss you too. It’s morning there if I’m correct?” She asked sweetly, finding it a bit entertaining watching her husband dress.

He nodded in response. “5 am. It’s afternoon there right now for you?” He asked, walking off camera again to receive another article of clothing.

“Yes,” She paused as she watched her husband’s tall frame disappear off-screen.

The isolation didn’t last long as the front door swung open only to be greeted with a too familiar voice.

“Ayyyyye!~ The party’s here now!” Jounouchi squawked, his enormous foot stomped out from the inside of the door, holding a six pack of beer with his fingers entwined into the flexible plastic holding the cans together.

The feeling of dread washed over Cameron immediately, pushing her index finger to her lips as a gesture to tell Joey to quiet his voice down. Which only fell on deaf ears as he slammed the door shut.

“Hey! Yo Cam! What’cha doin’ in the corner like dat, uh?” He grinned, striding over to her.

“Do I hear Wheeler?” Seto asked dryly, he had eventually came back onto the screen, fully dressed in a suit. He stared blankly at his wife as her head perked up as she was staring up at the blond in front of her.

“Money-bags! That you?” Jounouchi grinned, stepping forward to flick the bottom of Cameron’s nose playfully making her whine.

She pressed herself closer to the wall of the staircase and tried pushing Jounouchi's burly body away. “Back beast! Back!” She swatted him using her hand only to have him flick her ear this time.

“Why you actin’ guilty for? You talkin’ dirty over here or something?” He cackled at his own joke, not being able to squeeze himself into the camera’s focus he brought his hand up to the screen instead. First flashing the peace sign and quickly changed it to his middle finger. This caused Cameron to smack his hand away.

“Come on Jou! Get lost!” She cried out.

“Cameron, explain. Why aren’t you home studying?” Seto’s voice darkened in annoyance, completely ignoring the blond’s antics.

The door opened again only to have Yugi appear, with a convenience bag swinging gently in his hand.

“Hi, guys!” He greeted, giving Jounouchi a questionable look as he watched his friend still trying to gawk his way into Cameron’s space.

“What are you guys doing?” He blinked.

“I’m trying to talk to Seto with Joey being bothersome!” She huffed, trying to nudge him away with her shoulder.

“Oh,” Yugi said, stepping closer to the staircase to join the rest.

“Hi, Kaiba!” He lowered his chin down a bit so he could be heard better.

Cameron facepalmed with a sigh as her husband squinted in confused with a curved scowl on planted on his face.

Seto looked like he was about to say something curt but when he opened his mouth he answered calmly instead. “Hi, Yugi.”

“What the hell moneybags! How come ya’ didn’t respond to me! What a fuckin’ jerk, man!” He finally squished less than half his body onto the same step Cameron was seated on before she abruptly hung up on her husband.

“I’ll call you later bye!” She rushed out, hitting the little red button on her phone to disconnect their call.

Yugi stood there oblivious to the frustration Cameron actually felt. “It’s good to see that you and Kaiba are on good terms still,” He said, pleasantly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” She shot Jounouchi a side eye glare before using all her strength to ram against his larger body and shove him off the step only having her topple down with him onto the floor in front of Yugi’s feet who looked down at them with a coy smile.

\--

Hanging up in Seto’s face wasn’t the best idea. In fact, it was probably one of the biggest mistakes Cameron could have done. She ignored the two phone calls her husband had made right after she got up from the floor and back into the living room. Her phone buzzed again right after she sat down back at the card table with the rest of the boys. She knew it was a long complaining text message. She was tempted to read it but didn’t want to dampen her mood either. So she waited a few minutes before taking a peek down at her phone.

When Jounouchi first made it to the table he stood in front of Ryou and Malik who were sitting next to each other with the game pieces laid out on the board.

“Yo, Malik. I just wanna apologize for how I treated ya’ the other night man. I’m sorry. Can we call it truce?” The blond stretched his arm out to the other man.

Malik was lounging back in his chair, arms folded to his chest an uncomfortable smirk curled his lips.

“I was so doped out that night. I don’t even remember. It’s fine,” His laugh was pained with Ryou giving him a concerning look from the corner of his eye, frowning.

The Arabic didn’t stand he stretched his arm across the table to shake Jounouchi's hand instead to shake his hand and quickly slipped his hand away to press his back into the chair and keep a close distance to the slimmer male next to him as their hands touched under the table.

Not being able to stand the anticipation of the text message Cameron finally opened her phone screen back up just to be greeted with a long rambling block of text.

_‘I don’t know what you’re trying to pull. You’re a grown woman who still continues to gallivant all over the place like she isn’t married. There are more important matters to take care of then to be lazing about with those clowns that you seemed to become rather fond of. I’ll be expecting your call.’_

She rolled her eyes at the message, hopping up from her seat and holding her phone face down. “I’m going to go check on the pizza. Start without me,” She suggested gently before stepping away from the table.

Yugi looked up from the rule book, his little figurine placed on the board as he popped his head out from the pages. “Is everything okay Cam?” He asked, sensing her troubled state.

“Pizza! Is that what I smell cookin’?” Jounouchi’s lit up with excitement, turning in his chair ready to get up.

Cameron put her hand up in the air as a gesture to stop him from following. “It’s not ready yet. Stay here,” She told him with a bit of aggression in her voice.

The blond flustered his brows together and twisted his lips into a cooked pout. “Who the hell you talkin’ to like that?” He plopped back in the rickety chair that squeaked under his weight.

“I think you’ve been married to Kaiba for too long Cam. You sounded just like him,”Yugi couldn’t help but crack a smile at the similarities.

“The kitten has claws and is putting the dog in his place,” Malik chimed in slowly, tilting his head up at Cameron with a smug expression.

“How sexy of you,” He lowered his voice, looking at her from the tops of his eyes. His flirting wasn’t to seduce her. It was to challenge her. It was obvious that Malik’s attention and possibly his heart was preoccupied with the handsome flower boy that was Ryou.

It was almost scaring her of how her train of thought had become one with Seto. Remembering very well how he repeated that her sensual behavior and unpredictable outbursts were to challenge him. The slick Egyptian was playing a game with the same mind. And it was clear that he knew this.

“Watch out. You might get a taste of these claws first hand. And I’ll make sure to scratch you hard enough for the sake of Ryou as well,” She forced a wide grin on her face, having the artificial joy disappear off her face once making eye-contact with the pale man who seemed the least bit impressed only giving her a small smile back.

“If you’d excuse me,” She gave a slight bow before flitting out of the room.

\--

An effort was made to check on the state of the pizza that was still cooking as Cameron bent down and cracked the oven door open to see that the top layer was still bubbling and not yet settled.

“Yugi? Would you take the pizza out in a few minutes, please? I’m going to use the toilet. I’ll be back,” She said, heading back into the hallway and upstairs.

Yugi nodded in response to her request. “Okay, sure,” He answered back gently as Ryou rolled the diamond shaped die.

“What’s her problem all of a sudden?” Jounouchi grumbled, sticking his hand into the honey and buttered flavored potato chip bag.

Ryou strategically moved his White Wizard figurine across the board. “It’s probably about Kaiba,” He quietly spoke.

\--

Cameron closed the door of the bathroom behind her once she was upstairs. She sat on the toilet of the small compact space. Facing forward to a window with no curtains on it. The view was of an ugly brick wall of the of their neighbor next door. She could understand how cheap the rent must be to have such a poor surrounding. She punched in Seto’s number to call him back only to have the dial tone ring for a long while before having her husband’s cold voice pick up.

“Yes?” Is how she was greeted.

She was a bit disappointed that he had answered. But also relieved considering the fact that it meant he wasn’t too angry at her.

“I’m sorry for hanging up in your face,” She spoke gently in the phone, glancing around at the messy bathroom.

“Is that all?” His voice turned gruff rather quickly.

“Yes, if you think I’m apologizing for visiting Yugi then you must be out of your mind. It was also rude to call him a clown when he's supposed to me such a good friend to you,” She barked out, staring harshly as if Seto was in front of her.

“I didn’t call him a clown. I meant it for the mongrel and the other two losers he lives with. Just because I left doesn’t give you a get of jail free card Cameron. Mokuba is still holding his responsibilities, ” Seto kept his defensive tone as he scolded her.

“I don’t know how many times I need to berate you on keeping up with your schedule!--”

“It’s lonely in that place Seto,” Cameron cut him off, twisting a piece of her hair around her finger, sitting criss-cross on the toilet seat.

“In what place?” He asked roughly.

“The Kaiba Estate,” She answered back.

“Mokuba is taking care of important work. At the corporation. You’re yelling at me for stupid things like my studies that you expect me to do. And aren’t risking the company. Only your image to the public eye. I don’t want to spend all day in that dreary place with the maids. It’s lonely,” She repeated that word to prove a point to him.

Seto stayed silent a moment as if he thinking of the right words to use on her. Cameron could hear her husband’s voice in a more hushed speaking to somebody else in his broken Italian. The voices discussing back and forth were muffled as the cutthroat CEO came back.

“I have to leave. I’ll call you tonight. I want you to leave that place at an acceptable time,” He told her in a more cool tone. Supposing the change of tone was for the sake of whatever company Seto had with him at this time.

“Okay, have a good day Seto,” She told him before hanging up after he said his goodbye.

Cameron didn’t have to ask what he meant by an acceptable time. She knew it meant not too late at night and before dark. Before leaving the bathroom she let out a sigh, heading back downstairs to join the others. Jounouchi was playing as her elf maiden for her while she was gone. She didn’t mind at all. She was actually quite thankful to have the group keep her in the game with her absence. The pizza was already cut and distributed amongst them. Most of the onigiri Ryou made were already eaten. A tuna one was saved for the small American woman at her place. It didn’t take long for her to meld back into the group of men who were more caught up in the game than Cameron had expected. It lasted quite some time. And soon ended when Jounouchi was forced to part ways with the fellow nerds. He had to get ready to go to his second job. Which was the bartending one. He worked at Black Clown cafe in the morning which also a food truck in the summer. According to Yugi, the cafe was owned by their friend Ryuji and his father who used to own a game shop by the same name at one point in time.

After the rowdy blond left the group the mood became pretty tame. Everybody chipped in on helping to put away the Dungeons & Dragons items. Ryou told Cameron that she could keep her elf maiden if she liked. She answered back by telling him she’d rather have her stay here with the other figurines. So when she joins them again it’ll be here waiting for her. Malik took the bulk of work, carrying the box upstairs carefully. Ryou followed behind him, carrying the other items that they used for the game. Yugi decided to fold the card table up and put it away in one of the closets downstairs as Cameron packed away the leftover food into containers that Yugi’s mother brought over to the apartment for the boys to use.

\--

When the mess was finally cleaned up Cameron had decided to stay longer seeing that her point had been made to her husband earlier about not wanting to return to the empty mansion. The rest of the day consisted of playing retro games one of Yugi’s old console. It was to be expected that Ryou and Malik would clan together on the other side of the room after a few rounds of Super Smash Bros. They stayed in a corner of the living room that was more quiet with a few books. A couple being folktales to help Malik with his Japanese. Ryou admitted he helped the Arabic often in his lessons even though he didn’t consider himself that helpful in many cases.

When it got closer to night Ryou decided to make tea. The sky darkening meant it was time to indulge in some booze for Malik. Yugi went through the movie collection the four roommates accumulated together. It was an impressive collection that Mokuba would be proud of. Cameron even recognized a few the Younger Kaiba could have possibly even contributed. Because of the bleak weather outside the group decided on a scary movie. Cameron suggested Poltergeist which was no surprise a videotape that was owned by Ryou. With little effort in dispute, it was agreed as Yugi popped the tape into the VCR and scooted back towards the couch, sitting on the floor next to the short brunette as the tanned blond took over half the couch only leaving enough room for his dear sweet Ryou to squeeze in. Mainly using the poor lanky male as his personal throw pillow which he didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

\--

After three movies in it were unsure what had happened next. Cameron’s eyes opened slowly to the television screen playing the ending credits to Pet Sematary. Her body slumped against the side of the couch with her head slightly hanging against the top cushions. She could hear the faint sound of rain tapping on the surface of the glass. A warm hand was felt on the back of her shoulder. When she lifted her head she was greeted by Ryou’s friendly eyes.

“What happened?” Cameron grumbled slightly, rubbing her eyes and sitting upright.

“You fell asleep. The rain became heavier. It’s pretty bad out there. Would you like me to call a taxi for you? Or maybe you’d prefer to stay the night? My bed is open anytime,” Ryou’s kind smile matched his gentle voice. Cameron could understand why Malik adored him so much.

“Oh my god Ryou!” Cameron grinned, starting to laugh out nervously as she kept her head bowed to continuously rub her face.

“Stop giving up your bed to me!” She reached out to slap his hand playfully and slowly stood up from the floor, awkwardly facing Yugi who was on his laptop at the kitchen island. Most likely working on his game play format for Kaiba Corp.

“Don’t sweat it, Cam! You can sleep in my bed if you want,” The King of Games smiled to her from afar before looking back at the screen of his laptop.

She stomped her foot, crossing her arms. “Guys! Stop being so nice to me!”

Ryou titled his head, standing close to Cameron’s smaller frame. “But why? There’s no reason for us not to treat you nicely. You deserve it,” He told her warmly.

His words almost made her melt. Malik better watch out, the flower boy’s charm was starting to work on her now.

“Thank you, Ryou. I really appreciate your kindness towards me. But, please! Don’t feel like you have to go out of your way! I can just call a taxi myself to get home thank you!” She looked around for her phone and found it on the floor where she was sitting on the couch. When she looked at the clock on her screen it was going past time Seto considered ‘appropriate.’

The door to the front hall slammed with Malik waltzing into the common room. His hair looked damp from the rain outside. He was shirtless, using his black tank top as a towel to dry his head. His cargo pants seemed a little wet. Looking like he was kneeling in a puddle.

“If I were you I’d just stay. The weather is pretty nasty out there. I thought that the roof of my garage was going to fly off,” He said, tossing his crumpled shirt over his shoulder.

“In that case. Let me go out of my way and show you to my room,” Ryou smiled, holding his hand out for Cameron.

She stared down at his ghostly white hand a moment before grabbing it. “Fine!” She huffed, sticking a tongue out to Malik as the two walked upstairs.

Malik gave a smug smile, slipping the tanktop of his shoulder as an attempt to hit her with the wet garment. Only having it miss as Ryou pulled her along quick enough.

Yugi observed from afar awhile before speaking up. “It’s nice to have all of us get along. Just be careful not to tease her too much. I’ve seen Cameron’s temper in action,” Yugi joked half-heartedly.

“Yeah? Hopefully, I won’t get sued by that stuffy husband of hers,” He chuckled dryly, not making an effort to look back at Yugi as he headed to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flower boy is a male who is feminine in appearance and soft-spoken. They are popular in Asia with girls flocking to their charm.


	32. Chapter 32

A loud crackling boom of thunder is what awoke Cameron from her slumber. Her eyes opened only to be caught being stared down at by one of the skulls propped up on one of the top levels of the bookshelf having the lightning shine the room a moment giving her enough time to gaze up at the menacing thing. The petite brunette frowned, pulling the covers over her whole body to shield herself from the morbid novelties in the room. The thunder continued to rumble but much softer this time until another loud roar from the sky. A cry of pain was heard from afar. It made her body cringe. It was undoubtedly Yugi since he seemed to be the weakest hearted out of the three men of this apartment. She laid there, touching the plasticky graphic design of the large old t-shirt Ryou lent the American woman for the night. She closed her eyes, trying to fall back asleep only being taunted by the thoughts of how upset Seto must be with her not being able to connect with him tonight after having her phone die. She had no way of knowing if he contacted her. He most certainly tried but his irresponsible wife had a habit of never keeping her phone on or checking her messages. She let out a loud sigh, letting her body spring out from under the blankets and sat up in the bed that was beginning not to be so strange to her now.

She threw the covers off her and stood up. Picking the phone up from the nightstand just to check her messages in vain as her phone had no charge to it. A sense of guilt had already seeped under her skin. Mokuba would be disappointed in her. She and Seto had promised to try harder on working as a team to get along. And Cameron was failing on her part already. She carried the phone out of the room with her despite the fact that it was stone cold dead.

She wandered the short hallway and ended up at Yugi’s bedroom threshold having the bright white Christmas lights stapled to his wall lure her towards the door that was wide open. She pulled at the bottom of the long shirt down to make sure her panties weren’t in view. Cameron raised a brow, tiptoeing into the room, glancing over at Yugi sleeping in his twin sized bed pushed against the side of the wall. And was caught off guard by the two pairs of feet poking out under a large dark purple and gold duvet placed on the wooden floor in the middle of the room. She flopped down in front of the two heads of long hair sprawled out on a shared pillow. Ryou and Malik were cuddled against each other. The Arabic was curled against his gentle partner in a fetal position beside him, pale fingertips soothingly tracing the engraved markings on his back. It was evident that the flower boy had been awake when Cameron had stepped in. His chocolate brown eyes were visible thanks to the dim lighting of the tiny bulbs draped on the wall.

“Did the thunder scare you?” He whispered to her, continuing his gentle back rubbing.

She nodded in response, sitting on her knees and pressed her curled up palms to the edge of the shirt to prevent it from riding up.

“It scared us too,” Ryou smiled with droopy eyes.

The comment confused Cameron at first. The two laying in Yugi’s bedroom was odd enough. Until it struck her that Ryou was referring to Malik after taking a good look at the state of the man’s body language. The cry she heard earlier must have been from him and not Yugi like she thought. The blond always carried a butch stance to him when encountering her. Seeing him in such a vulnerable position only made Cameron recall the harsh words she had said to him the last time she stayed over. It was also a reminder that the tough guy persona he used on her was an act. This fragile mess of a man under the covers was who Malik really was. And this is why she can understand why Ryou tolerated the loathsome behavior. The term ‘us’ was used not to embarrass the sleeping Egyptian and Cameron appreciated the modesty from the peculiar white-haired male.

“Your skeleton collection is quite creepy,” She weakly smiled back, keeping her phone gripped in her lap. In reality, it wasn’t the occult decor that kept the American woman up. It was knowing all too well of the disgust her husband must have with her that was weighing her weary mind.

“Yeah, they could be pretty spooky,” His chuckle was so faint it was barely heard.

The blinding flash of lightning crept through the blinds of the window with a low drumming of thunder right behind it was enough of an answer as the frightened Arabic whimpered into Ryou’s chest, stirring in his sleep. Not even a pause between another clash of thunder was heard this time making quieter a shattering rumble having the Christmas lights flicker on and off until they died out on their own. It was all too much for Malik this time as he shot open his eyes and pushed himself away from Ryou, letting out an unnerving scream of panic. He sounded out of breath much like what was heard in the horror movies they had watched that night. The sudden outburst caused Yugi to awake.

“You guys okay!” He asked in concern, sitting up in bed and leaned over to pull the string that hung from his lamp next to him. It didn’t turn on.

“The storm outside must have knocked the power out,” Ryou said in observation, sitting up once he felt Malik fold over the duvet. He snaked his arm around the other’s waist and kissed the crook of his neck taking the risk to show affection seeing that it was pitch dark in the room.

“Malik remember to exhale,” Cameron coaxed to him, not being able to see his terrified state but hearing enough of his wheezing to guess that he was suffering from a panic attack.

Yugi hung upside down off the edge of his bed as he stuck his hands under the bed searching aimlessly for a storage box. Once he found it after rummaging around for a flashlight he flicked the button on as he pointed it towards the middle of where his three friends were found.

The bright light caused Cameron to shield her eyes using her hand as a visor. While it made Ryou swiftly remove his arm away from Malik’s waist in embarrassment.

“Oh, Cam. You’re in here too,” Yugi squinted through the darkness, letting his body slide off the side of the bed and onto the floor. He looked at Ryou a little bewildered as he caught a glimpse of him pulling away from Malik.

“I couldn’t sleep through the storm either,” She said, glancing over at Malik who now had his head rested down on his knees.

Yugi set the flashlight down on the floor so it was facing up, making the light more powerful as he started to pull his bed apart and throw his blankets and pillows into a messy pile on the floor to join them.

“Are you afraid of the dark Malik? I can keep the light on for you,” Yugi suggested gently, crawling closer to his friends as he carried the flashlight in one hand and his blankets in the other.

His blond hair hung in his face as he stared wide-eyed downward into the darkness. He shook his head no before answering. “I lived underground my whole life. It’s not the darkness I’m afraid of,” He said quietly, glancing over at Ryou once he felt the other’s hand over his.

“You had a night terror from the thunder,” Cameron stated, pulling a thinner blanket over her shoulders once Yugi offered it to her.

Malik paused, lacing fingers with Ryou and slowly turned to look over his shoulder at the girl.

“Is that what you call it Mrs. Kaiba?” He asked snidely. Feeling insulted by the assumptions like she knew him.

“I suppose you can’t hear thunder from underground in a tomb can you?” Is what she fired back with. Her true intentions weren’t to be hurtful only having her attitude flare-up by nature now.

Malik sucked his teeth as a comeback to her as he turned his face away from her and Yugi as he rested his head on Ryou’s shoulder.

The gentle rebel lets a moment go by before speaking to make sure that the argument wasn’t ongoing. “If you want. I can keep the flashlight on anyway,” He said, passing Cameron his pillow and pulling a giant plush Marshmallon towards the group.

“No, I’ll be fine,” He lied, shutting his eyes tightly.

Ryou patted his back before glancing over at Yugi. “I think it’d be a good idea if you did,” He told gently.

Yugi nodded and left the flashlight standing upright beside them while he laid down on the floor and pulled his bed comforter over him and used the Mashmallon as a pillow. Cameron soon joins in and laid straight next to Yugi laying her head on his pillow and used the blanket on top of her. Once everybody seemed settled in Malik picked up his cellphone and pressed the menu button to turn on the screen. He used it as a light to guide his way out of the room. His heavy footsteps left the door as the rest of the group watched in worry.

“Is he going to be okay?” Cameron whispered out.

“Yes, he just needs some time alone,” Ryou tried to assure, turning on his side.

\--

The clouds were still very visible and the sky a dreary grey color with a crisp smell of dampness from the rain was still lingering through the air. It was quite a comforting scent to Cameron while she paraded along the empty streets of Domino City, stepping over soggy leaves and avoiding puddles as best she could so she could keep her bare toes from getting soaked. It wasn’t the best idea to wear sandals this time of year. Her feet and legs were the only things that felt the chilliness of the morning air as she clutched the flowy bottom of her dress up to keep it dry from dragging on the wet pavement.

The short brunette had no idea what time it was. She had left Yugi’s apartment after laying there a few hours without a wink of sleep. Once the dark sky lightened up enough is when she decided to sneak out of there without making an effort to wake anybody. She had enough courtesy to jot down a note to inform the roommates that she had decided to take the train home and stuck it in the fridge knowing it’d be seen there eventually. The power was still out when Cameron left the apartment giving her no chance to even give Mokuba a quick call to her whereabouts. It was a rather isolating feeling. Not being able to touch base with your family.

Cameron’s mind wandered aimlessly until the too close for comfort sound of a motorcycle's revving engine broke her concentration. It caused her feet to stop and slowly and looked over her shoulder, gripping the strap to her tote-bag tightly. Her lips stretched into a frown. It was the one and only blond boozer.

“You got a lot of nerve Mrs.Kaiba. Worrying everybody like that,” Malik sneered out. He wasn’t wearing his helmet this time as he leaned back on his bike in a relaxed manner. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy looking. He wore tight fitted jeans, a dark turquoise shirt with long sleeves to keep his arms warm and a leather jacket draped over his torso. A Grim Reaper pin was attached to one of the breast pockets. Cameron could have guessed that it was a gift from Ryou.

She narrowed her eyes at him when he spoke to her. Unlike yesterday his eyes made it obvious that he wasn’t sober today. “Stop calling me that!” She hissed at him.

“Calling you what?” He snorted, lowering the bottom of his combat boots to the curb of the street to keep his motorcycle steady.

“Mrs.Kaiba! You only say it to mock me! I don’t appreciate it!” She spun around to face the blond, placing a hand on her hip and kept her fierce stare on him.

He stared back at her, showing no real expression. Only a blank stare and parted lips. “I don’t get you,” His forehead creased as he finally showed disgust towards her.

She hesitated by his reaction at first, only feeling anger she snapped back. “And what the hell is that suppose to mean! What is there to get? I just want to go home!”

“Go home to what? A cocky bastard who sees you as a trophy wife?” His shoulders sagged as a gentle wind blew his fringe out of his face.

“You don’t know who my husband truly is! You can’t judge him!” Her brows flustered together as she felt her temper slowing coming to a boil.

“Just because you got a taste of his cock doesn’t mean you--”

The echo of skin being slapped was so loud that a handful of sparrows in a nearby tree fluttered off in fright. Cameron’s rage was drawn out enough to work up enough nerve to cross the street and strike the arrogant punk across the face. Her small hand left an impressive red mark on his tan cheek as her force was hard enough to cause the Arabic to step off his motorcycle so he didn’t topple off it.

“So the kitten’s claws finally came out, huh?” He smiled smugly with a wince, holding his face.

“Listen to me!” She dared to step closer to the man’s taller frame as she yanked onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to their faces barely touched.

“I’m not some idiot woman that married Seto Kaiba for his money. Alright? And I can assure you that he didn’t marry me for my body. I suggest you get lost!” The words poured out of her mouth so fast that she didn’t even have time to react to the blond roughly grabbing her hand to release himself from her grip.

“Your marriage was arranged! You can’t possibly love him!” He took a step back from her as he pulled at the collar of his shirt to straighten it out.

“Yeah! Well, I’m trying!” Cameron barked back in furry. Eyes widening to her own confession as she pressed a hand to her chest. She turned away from Malik, mortified by what she just said.

Malik crossed his arms, satisfied with the response he had gotten. “You don’t have to force yourself to fall in love with a man you never desired. It’s better just to be true to yourself and find love someplace else.”

“I’m not forcing myself to do anything. You know nothing about me. I have better opportunities here than I ever had in America,” Cameron had resorted to kneeling down on the muddy sidewalk in an emotional state. No longer caring about whether or not her dress would get ruined.

“Take it from me, _Cam,”_ He made sure to emphasize her name before walking towards her and crouched down beside her.

“It’s not what’s in America you’re running from. It’s you. And it’s impossible to run away from yourself. Trust me, I’ve tried,” The Arabic closed his eyes when another gentle breeze came blowing their way.

Cameron kept her chin tucked against the top of her knees, staring up at the barely seen sun that was trying its hardest not to be overshadowed by the clouds.

“What do you mean?” She mumbled weakly.

“I left Cairo to escape the stress I had with my past self. So I got up one day and took the plunge to start a new life here in Japan with the others. It was great at first. But then I felt myself slowly drifting back into my old habits. I also thought seeing Ryou again would maybe heal me in some way.”

“But, it didn’t,” He shrugged, glancing down at a small golden leaf by his foot.

“What do you mean about Ryou? You guys are inseparable,” She adjusted her head to prop it sideways to get a better look at the man next to her.

A troubled smile grew on Malik’s face, keeping his eyes down while he played with the edges of the little leaf he found. “He’s not the person I fell in love with. It was somebody else. I’ll tell you later,” He fell silent soon after that.

Cameron admittingly was enjoying his company now. “It’s not like I don’t love Seto. He can be rather bossy but his heart is definitely in the right place. He’s the only man I’ve put trust into for a long time,” She stayed put another moment before slowly standing up.

“I really should get going now, Malik. I want to call my husband. I miss him,” She said before being stopped from trying to walk off.

The blond kept a tight grip on her upper arm. “Don’t be stubborn let me give you a lift home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may be a favorite. Possibly because I love scenes with rainy/stormy settings. I decided to not to make Marik malicious to Cam. At first, I wanted Marik to act cruelly to Cam because he thought she was stupid for being in an arranged marriage (Because they are popular in Egyptian and other countries) But me being me and changing my plan while the scene is taking place is what I do best. And I like it better this way. Where instead of Cam having Marik as an enemy she created another ally who actually gets how she feels.
> 
> I'm not gonna lie. The idea of "running away from oneself" was taken from my favorite angstshipping fic titled Host here on AO3. (which, I also can relate to in real life BTW) That's one of my favorite things about fanfics. Us writers inspire each other. And I really love that. And I always love hearing that my plot encourages my readers in writing.
> 
> Love you guys! - Jess <3


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a disclaimer because time is catching up with me! I'm going out of state to spend time with my darling boyfriend in August. So, sadly my updates may become slow. (My flight is hella long so you there might be updates anyway xD) REGARDLESS! I am going to try to continue as much as I can before the time comes because I don't plan on being online much while I'm out of town. 
> 
> Fun fact: My boyfriend's birthday is the same as Marik Ishtar. (Dec 23rd) And I kinda love that?
> 
> Thank you for all your love and support guys! My darling asked how my writing was doing and I told him that my readers act very cute!~
> 
> \- Jess <3

Cameron held onto Malik’s waist the whole ride home, resting her head against his upper back and kept her eyes closed most of the journey. After a little incident at the front gates of the Kaiba Estate with Mrs.Kaiba having to explain to the guards, it was just her friend giving her a lift home when a trio of large men dressed in black suits. They looked like secret agents which the American woman thought was ridiculous. Only one of them spoke English so it didn’t take long for the misunderstanding to clear up. After she got the men out of their hair they marched back to their post and proceeded to open up the gates.

“Must be tough being married to a famous guy, huh?” The Arabic stayed seated on his chopper as he watched Cameron hop off the back of his bike when the giant steel gates finally opened up for her.

“That it can be,” She answered, starting to walk through the opening of the gates and turned midway to wave goodbye to him.

“I’d invite you in but that wouldn’t look very good. Plus, I don’t think Ryou would appreciate it either,” She cracked a smile with tired eyes.

Mailk lifted his hand slowly up in the air to wave back. “That’s fine! Wouldn’t want to give off the wrong impression anyway!” He shouted out while watching the small framed woman walk further away.

“That you’re having an affair with Japan’s most powerful CEO?” She started walking backward with her feet finally touching the cement sidewalk that leads up to the manor.

“Hell no! That people will think I’m straight!” He called out to her, twisting his face and started to reeve up his bike again.

Cameron let out a loud sincere laugh, it’s the first time she ever saw any type of personality from Malik before. She kept walking backward and waving to him until the gates finally closed and his motorcycle was seen driving off of the estate.

\--

When she walked inside the mansion she was greeted by the staff right away. All bowing to her at once. The sudden contact with them all was a bit overwhelming as the lady of the house bowed back before marching upstairs. She only stepping into her room for a visit to gather up a few things before heading off towards her husband’s room. She plugged her phone in to charge on the dresser and set her other belongings on his desk. She headed into his bathroom to shower quickly and soon blew dried her hair. Not being able to sleep at Yugi’s Cameron decided to dress into her own pajamas. This time a nightgown, one she had previously owned. It was a little more revealing than the gown Seto had given her. It was spaghetti strap and pink. Made from a silk material with a low cut V neckline. As she unmade his bed she sat up at by the bed frame to look over her phone that was now charged. She had two missed calls from her husband and one from Mokuba. She sighed, only texting the younger Kaiba back instead of calling him since she wanted to hurry back to Seto.

It was about 4 am there which meant that in Italy it must be around 9 pm. Her husband should be back at his hotel by now settled in. Which could be a good thing, it would mean that his attitude might be watered down if he was unwinding for the night. She laid down in bed, using the blanket to only cover half her body as she laid her head down on one of the pillows and held her phone in hand while she dialed Seto back. He picked up fairly quickly this time, his camera to the video chat taking a bit longer to connect. Soon the screen focused with Seto’s face and upper torso appearing. The lighting was dimmed, giving off a bit of a yellowish effect to the shading of the view. He seemed to be sitting down in a recliner that had a plush backing to it.

“Where have you been? Did you just wake up?” He didn’t look pleased. His face visible tired and still dressed in the collar shirt she saw him last in.

“No, I just came home. Sorry if I worried you. There was a really bad storm here so I stuck at Yugi’s,” She laid her head sideways on the pillow and used the spare one to prop her phone on its side to keep her hands free.

“Yeah, that’s what Mokuba said,” He grumbled lowly, lifting his hand up in view of the camera to take a sip of scotch. He was loosened up from drinks. It explained his laid-back demeanor.

“You’re in my room?” He squinted, taking notice of the background and took another sip of alcohol before setting it down.

“I didn’t sleep at all. I figured I’d feel more comfortable here,” She said, curling her legs up a bit to get more relaxed and touched the back of her head to smooth out the strains of hair that stuck that may be sticking up in the back.

“And in that frilly little pink thing? You wanted to butter me up so I wouldn’t get upset with you for staying over that derelict apartment,” His eyes became more cunning as she knew where they were staring.

“Not really,” She lied, speaking nonchalantly as she tried to play the innocent woman act and watched her husband disappear from her view. He had gotten up from the chair and set his phone down on a table nearby. Cameron was only able to see the ceiling of the room.

“I didn’t even know you owned such a thing,” There was a sneer at the end of his comment. Only being able to hear Seto was making his wife be able to pick up in his subtleness.

“I never got a chance to wear it,” She didn’t mind playing the evasive game, tucking an arm under her side.

The camera started to shake with the movement of Seto’s walking. When he reappeared on screen he was in the bathroom. Seto had undressed off camera since he was now wearing his bed attire. He looked at himself in the mirror first as he washed his face with a cloth and turned back to her after he rinsed off the soap. It was such menial tasks but Cameron enjoyed watching him. It was a reminder that despite her husband’s rough image he was still a human being like the rest of us.

When he took the time to admire her is when she also got a good view of his face. Not how handsome he was, that ugly bruise was still mocking her. Though the sense of guilt was wearing off. It still was an eyesore to see. It was a lesson that Cameron will soon not forget.

“The bruise I gave you is still there,” He said almost in pride.

The petite brunette paused, moving her hand out of the way and glanced down at herself. Seeing that the purplish mark was poking out due to the low cut of the gown. “I like how that’s where your eyes are, Seto,” She looked back at the screen smugly.

“You’re displaying yourself in such a manner that it’s hard for my eyes not to wander there,” He scoffed in more of a lighthearted tone, making the phone shake again when he walked.

“It also looks like it’s healing up. I may have to fix that when I get back,” He said, having Cameron catch a glimpse of his smirk before his phone was set down again.

“Oh, my! Only a day away from home and you’ve become so bold! Shame on you Seto!” She giggled, rolling onto her back to tease him.

“I’ve always been bold. I just try not to push my luck. Look what happened to me when I did,” He told her, lowering himself down onto the bed. Keeping his camera pointed towards him.

Seto was referring to the bruise. Which killed the light-hearted mood for Cameron. She was tired of that thing interfering. And it was only her fault to blame. She stared at the ceiling in thought before snapping herself out of it and rolled back on her side.

“Seto?” She frowned and propped her elbow into the mattress, using her palm to rest her chin. Her cleavage was in full view now which was no issue at this point.

“Yes?” He answered gently, rubbing the side of his neck and down to his shoulder. Cameron would catch him rubbing those spots often when they laid in bed together. His muscles were constantly sore from exercising.

“Why aren’t you angry with me like you were this afternoon?” She asked, feeling comfort in his soft gaze on her.

“There’s no reason to be angry. If you had gotten hurt while with those losers I’d be angry. Just make sure you keep on track of your schedule while I’m gone. My charity funds may not seem like a big percentage of the company because I don’t make money off it. But, it’s important because others depend on the help we give them. Do you want to disappoint needy children?” He asked her firmly.

“No, of course not!” Cameron’s frown stretched bigger, setting her arm back down from getting tired and laid her head back on a pillow.

“Then I want to see you more involved in it. You’ve been spending more time with Yugi and his friends than actual work. You have free range, Cameron. There’s no reason for you not to be enjoying your job,” Seto was clearly disappointed by the way he was projecting himself.

He was relaxed in bed by his calm gaze showed a bit of sadness and his gruff voice showed no ounce of snide to it. His words were sincere. And it made Cameron feel like more of an inadequate wife. She said nothing at first, letting the feeling of guilt sink in. Seto made no effort of conversion either, most likely tired.

“I’ll try harder and do my best. I’m sorry,” She said gently finally.

He nodded in response, keeping a hand on his left shoulder as he applied pressure on it. “Thank you.”

Cameron was honestly caught off guard by the comment. The scotch had must have really worked wonders on her husband’s brain. The rest of their time together was pleasant. It was small talk Seto always seemed to loathe. But this time around he actually seemed interested. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t there and was curious about the going on. It was nice to finally have the contrary CEO show attentiveness to something other than the business or Duel Monsters.

“Your birthday is coming up soon. What are you looking forward to doing?” Seto asked, laying on his side under the sheets with his camera in hand.

Cameron smiled at his good memory. “My birthday is in November. Yours is this month. Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

“My birthday is not of any importance. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make a big to do about it,” His tone became dry to show how serious he was.

Now that it was mentioned Cameron remembered from the last year before they were married that Mokuba tipped her off to his brother’s contempt towards his birthday. In every aspect of Seto’s vague reasonings, the American woman never asked why those things were not to be talked about. Such as she had known about the scars for some time before asking her husband about them. I guess it was the same with his birthday that was also connected to something awful from the past. And in that case, his wife took take respectful route and didn’t pry.

“Can I at least get you a gift?” She asked, tucking a hand underneath the cool side of the pillow.

“I mean if you must. Sure. Mokuba typically does,” He closed his eyes, letting out a silent sigh as he ran his fingers through his fringe and to the back of his head before plopping his arm back down on the mattress.

She watched him with content, setting the quietness set in before breaking it. “Seto, you look tired. I’m going to let you sleep now,” She told him softly with a smile.

He slowly opened his eyes with a nod. “Rest well Cameron.”

“Good night, love,” She blew a kiss before hanging up.

\--

Cameron had gotten a good few hours of sleep with no disruptions not to mention that the fresh scent of her husband’s aftershave was a great comfort to her. It was around 9 am when the short brunette woke up. She had remade the bed before slinking out of Seto’s room trying not to be spotted by the help while she was in the babydoll dress. Only being spotted by a couple of the maids she wasn’t too upset. Mainly wanting to avoid the eyes of the male help. Before heading downstairs the petite brunette changed into a pair of little grey jogging shorts with a white stripe running up the sides and outlining the bottom cuff of the shorts. Long maroon colored knee socks were pulled high to her upper thigh. And the baby blue Kaiba Land hoody was pulled over her head, which she was starting to favor because of the soft fabric and the bagginess of it.

The shorts were something that Seto would not approve of. Though, it was definitely better than walking around in negligee. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the more racy clothing. It was that he didn’t like other people seeing his wife in such skimpy get-ups. Which, Cameron wasn’t the type to show a lot of skin. But it was admittedly hard to wear what you want when there was a staff of people in your home almost 24-7. It’s not like she didn’t like the help. She was acquaintanced with most of them and knew that they were just doing their job. It was still awkward nonetheless.

After greeting the kitchen staff the American woman made herself comfortable. Not doing any major cooking just settling for a piece of toast with peanut butter and cinnamon. Halfway through her breakfast, Keiko walked in to inform her that Mokuba was home. She and the maid had formed some sort of an unspoken friendship with one another. The two women didn’t act drastically close but there was pleasant aura when they shared a room.

She set her teacup down and carried her half-eaten piece of toast in hand as she strutted through the hallway that stretched to the main mudroom. She waved at Mokuba who was standing by the mat, taking off his shoes.

“Good morning stranger!” Cameron said, taking a large bite out of her toast and chewed.

She stopped short, taking the time to observe the younger Kaiba’s state as he didn’t greet her back in his typical friendly manner. The broad-shouldered young man looked spacey and was sweating slightly.

“Mokuba, are you okay?” Cameron asked softly, getting a weak nod from him in response before his towering build came crashing down over her. The younger Kaiba had fainted, losing balance when he tried to stand back up. The piercing scream of fright that escaped the short woman’s mouth had caused the nearby staff to flock over. Cameron was struggling to keep Mokuba’s much heavier body up from hitting the floor as he was lifelessly slumped against her. His eyes fluttered open a couple of times, his mind wanting to wake itself up but was too weak to do so. While Mrs.Kaiba was practically on her knees at this point trying to keep her brother-in-law leveled two of the butlers, one of them being Kaito. Came racing over and pulled Mokuba off her and slung the man’s arms on both sides of their shoulders to carry him off to the living room which was the nearest room. An older maid went to lend Cameron a hand from the floor only having her pull away from the kind woman without thought, running after the two butlers.

“Mokuba!” She yelled out, sitting at the edge of the couch he was now laying now. The butlers stayed behind Cameron, each one standing by the coffee table. The brunette first checked her brother-in-law’s temper by feeling his forehead with her palm and frowned.

“He doesn’t have a fever,” She said, looking up at butlers.

“Please get me a glass of water and something for him to eat?” She asked politely, trying not to let her nerves out.

“Yes, Mrs.Kaiba,” The older butler said, bowing to her slightly as he hurried off and then stopped.

“What kind of food would you like me to fetch?” He asked.

“Anything! Just hurry!” She finally snapped, turning her head to shoot a look at him.

This command caused nervousness from him as the butler nodded and ran out of the room fast. Kaito watched on in worry, hands folded neatly behind his back as he swayed a bit.

“Mrs.Kaiba, should I call a doctor?” He leaned forward a bit, glancing over Mokuba’s weak sleeping form.

With that being said a bowl of fruit was placed down on the table as the butler hurried back into the kitchen to receive the random breakfast foods the kitchen was now preparing. Kaito glanced at his panicking friend before meeting eyes with the lady of the house.

“That won’t be necessary. I’m a nurse. He fainted from fatigue,” She told him, looking back down at Mokuba’s face and frowned as she stroked the back of his head.

The younger’s Kaiba’s eyes opened slowly not even a moment later, blinking a few times in an attempt to get rid of his double vision.

“What happened?” He grumbled, slowly sitting up and looked at his sister-in-law who was still mortified.

“Oh thank god!” She slapped him across the head before pulling him into a tight hug.

“Ow! Hey! What was that for!” By his whine, Cameron could really tell that Mokuba was a younger brother.

“What’s the matter with you! When was the last time you ate?” Cameron asked, slipping away from him, continuing to hold his sides almost like a child before Mokuba slipped out of her grasp to relax into the couch.

“I had a snack from a convenience store last night. Oh, and some coffee,” He answered her, rubbing his face and glanced over at the maids who were now piling plates of English muffins topped with jams. Two bowls of yogurt with fruit and pieces of grilled ham.

She slapped his arm this time. “That’s not food! You haven’t slept either have you?” She stared harshly at him.

Mokuba rubbed at his arm. “Quit it! Now I know how bro feels!” He groaned out loud.

“Not just with the none stop working but also your bullying!” He took hold of the cup he handed as a maid poured hot coffee into it for him before stepping away.

“You fainted when you first stepped foot in the house! You should know your workload would be strenuous while Seto was gone! Why haven’t you been fueling your body so it can keep up?” She frowned deeply, crossing her arms.

Mokuba took a sip of coffee and set it down. “Hey! It’s not like I did it on purpose, okay? I’m doing the work of two people right now!” He accepted the apple that was handed to him and bit into it.

“Fainting isn’t funny Mokuba! My heart jumped out of my chest when I saw you fall! I was ready to call Seto!” She exclaimed, shooing a maid away from trying to hand her a cup of tea as she was too riled up.

“Calm down and take a breather! I’m fine, I’m fine! Alright?” He chewed a mouthful of apple and patted her shoulder.

Only getting the American woman to look away from him as a response caused the younger Kaiba to let out a defeated sigh.

“I’m sorry I scared you. Please, don’t call Seto. It’s only going to cause him grief for no reason. I’ll look after myself better. Alright?” He lowered the apple in his hand and gazed at his sister-in-law worrisome.

Cameron kept her head lowered another moment before staring him straight in the face. “I’ll kick your ass if you don’t eat properly and get a good night sleep!” She scoffed at him, leaning him to give him another smack.

Mokuba dodged her hit. “I can promise you the eating. Just not the sleeping part. Bro is supposed to be back very soon anyway!” Mokuba froze, flinching without cause as he was ready for Cameron to strike again. This time she didn’t.

“Fine, I won’t. I’m sorry for hitting you. But you deserved it! Being irresponsible like that!” She huffed, resisting the younger Kaiba’s embrace just to tease him at first until she hugged him tightly and shoved him into the couch.

\--

Mokuba had eaten his fill of food and then retired to his bedroom while Cameron continued with her chores with consisted mainly of studying. The two reunited a few hours after later in the small game room. The younger Kaiba stayed on his laptop finishing up whatever work he had to do that day. There was no movie playing on the television screen today as neither of them would be able to focus on it. The small brunette rested against her brother-in-law on the couch, looking over the funds for the donation pools of each program Kaiba Corp supported. Only the clicking of typing was heard between them until Cameron spoke the silence.

“I understand why Seto decided to fly out to Italy so quickly,” She perked her head up to look at Mokuba’s face.

The younger Kaiba stopped his fingertips from pressing keys to acknowledge his sister-in-law. “Why do you think he left?” He asked with a raised brow.

“I think it’s because familiarity breeds contempt,” She said, lifting her head off Mokuba’s shoulder and sat upright to straightened her legs out.

Mokuba paused, slowly nodding as he processed her words. “And absence makes the heart grow fonder,” He answered back, making eye-contact with her.

“Exactly! I think he left to teach me a lesson,” She set her tablet down on the table in front of them and began to stretch her arms over her head.

Mokuba went quiet again, continuing his typing and hesitated before speaking. “I mean, that can be true. Or maybe I was just too self-absorbed but I thought Seto left to challenge my abilities on being a good leader. Because he thinks I’m playing around with Hyori too much.”

Cameron quickly changed her sitting position again by crossing her legs. She pulled a pillow into her lap and held it close to her chest. “No, that can also be very true. I think he left us to see how well we grow together on our own,” She added on and hopped off the couch.

“It’s Seto’s way of showing us, love. Bro always used tough love. Even before we were adopted,” He looked up from the screen when he left the weight shift from the cushions of the couch.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“I want to take a walk around the garden. Do you happen to have an old shoebox handy?” Cameron started heading out of the room.

The younger Kaiba stretched his arms out to gently set his laptop down on the coffee table next to her tablet. “Uh, yeah? I might have one. Why?” He stood up, taking hold of his trousers by the belt loops and wiggled his hips to adjust them back to his waist before following behind his sister-in-law.

“I need you to do me a favor. I also need your strong arms,” She told him without looking back to see if he was following while she walked out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra fun fact: I had an ex with Seto Kaiba's birthday. (Oct 25th) He was a younger brother who ALWAYS wanted to hang out with his older brother. They were super close. Like freaky close. So when I finally broke up with him I told him he should just marry his brother if he loved him so much.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Insert a dozen clapback emojis here) I live for Mokuba and Cam's supportive bond!
> 
> This chapter is literally just exposition.

Small sparks of flames grew larger after it was fed flimsy pieces of paper and other miscellaneous articles that were considered treasures to Cameron at one point burned with ease. The blaze died down a bit after it received enough fuel to keep it burning. Mokuba kept scraps of paper balled up beside him, an of the pieces being old paperwork that he no longer needed. There was a bag of marshmallows in his lap, an American brand that Cameron’s oldest brother Tony sent her through the mail. His care packages were regular, sending a box of goodies of treats and other items that weren’t available in Japan. The small brunette sat beside her brother-in-law in front of a clay chiminea on the back patio. It was a strange looking thing that the Kaiba brothers would never have thought of until Cameron insisted they bought one. It looked like something you’d make in pottery class. The outdoor fireplace was a standard vase shape. The bottom having a fat rounded bottom with a long skinny neck. A large hole with a hollow opening and a matching hole on top to let the smoke escape.

“I’m glad you talked me out of burying everything,” Cameron spoke, staring down at the last photo of Jason she owned. His self-righteous grin sickens her. She hated everything about that picture. To the scratched up kitchen table to the ugly colored walls of sea green. The memories she had in that apartment with that man were things she wanted to wipe clean of her mind. It wasn’t hard to toss the handsome soldier’s bright grin into flames.

“I think burning your old stuff is easier than burying them. This way they’ll be gone forever,” Mokuba said, skimming through old birthday cards from a cardboard box that was set between them.

“No, you’re right,” She managed to squeak out, looking down at a photo with saddened eyes.

A younger looking Cameron with shoulder length hair was standing in the middle of two men. The one on the right had the same olive oil skin tone as her but with dark brown eyes and a black goatee. A grey beanie was pulled over his head. He had a hand on the small girl’s shoulder, standing in the back of her pressing close to the taller man next to him. He was more of a deeper complexion. Skin is a few shades darker to the others in the picture. His hair was pitch black and slicked back. He was topless, showing off a very detailed tattoo of a stapled wound that trailed down his torso and up to his shoulder. But the most striking thing about this man was that his eyes were an olive green color. Those light eyes against his dark skin were beautiful. And for Cameron, it was painful looking back at those eyes. Both men having large goofy grins on their faces like the photo was snapped while they were talking. Their cheeks were pressed together as all three were crammed against one another. Tall dark and handsome had his arms wrapped around the short brunette’s waist. All were dressed down. Looking a little messy like they had just woke up.

Mokuba leaned close to her, staring down at the photo after tossing in an old get well card from a past lover. “I don’t remember those guys from your albums. Who are they?” He asked softly.

She lifted her head up in surprise. “You mean you don’t know?” She asked, caught off guard figuring surely that her husband would have filled his brother in on all the drama that had been happening lately.

The younger Kaiba shook his head with a shrug. “No, how would I know?” He leaned back on his hands.

“That’s true I guess,” Cameron glanced back down at the photo and held it up for Mokuba to see better.

“This is my brother Bobby,” She pointed to the man with the beanie and goatee.

He squinted and slipped the photo out of her hand to view it better. “This is your brother? I don’t remember. He doesn’t look like you--or is blond,” He passed it back to her.

“He’s my half-brother. We have different mothers,” She explained.

“Oh, I understand. Were you close like you are with your brother Tony? I don’t see Bobby in photos like the others,” Mokuba hesitated in thought.

“Or it’s because he’s a half-brother and that he isn’t in many photos?” He frowned, feeling insensitive.

“We were really close. Bobby was always protective of me. I felt like, he was always on my side. And he didn’t socialize with my family because he doesn’t get on with our dad. There’d be no reason for him to bother with us,” She held onto the photo tightly, contemplating whether or not she should throw it in the fire.

Mokuba nodded slowly at her explanation. Empathizing with Cameron on the level of being a younger sibling that counted on the shelter of their older brother. “Is the other guy a brother too?”

“No!” She shot out abruptly, catching her attitude quickly before setting the photo aside. She was sick of looking at it.

“That’s Norm. He was somebody who was very important to me. He was Bobby’s best friend but he also had my heart. He was sort of my first love,” Her voice became softer as she explained, crossing her arms against her chest for security.

“What made you guys break-up? If you don’t mind me asking,” Mokuba turned slightly to face her and pushed the shoebox out of the way, sitting criss-cross to show his interest.

Cameron let out a heavy sigh before answering. “Well, Norm was never really a boyfriend per se. We never were vocal about it because Bobby would have had a fit. I mean, I don’t blame my brother. Who wants their best friend sleeping with their sister? It’s a bit odd. Even when I tried to break things off with Norm I always ended up back in his arms. I was still seeing him when I was with Jason. But it wasn’t Jason that was the cause of me leaving him. Norm had a really bad drinking problem that made him a different person. Honestly, if it wasn’t for that I don’t think I’d be here with you and Seto,” She answered honestly, not wanting to sugarcoat anything. The last thing she wanted to do was to make Mokuba feel like the life created here with his brother was second best. On the other hand, she also wanted to be completely open about her past even if was shameful.

The younger Kaiba pressed his lips together, looking down at Cameron who was now avoiding eye-contact.

“I’m glad you’re here with us. I like you as my sis-in-law,” A smile crept on his face, leaning in to ruffle the American woman’s hair. Hoping the playfulness would lighten her mood.

Cameron let out a whine, slapping his hand away and quickly grabbed his wrist to pull it back and hug his forearm to her chest.

“I’m happy to be apart of your family. It’s flattering because of how critical Seto is of people,” She tightened her hold on him as Mokuba flailed his arm away.

“I can see why you were so adamant about dating Hyori too. I’m proud of you for escaping such an unhealthy relationship. Thank you for looking out for me,” His face had a warm glow to it that felt reassuring.

“I just want you to be happy and not make the same mistakes I did. Petty things like that shouldn’t break up such a strong bond between brothers. I owe you a lot for constantly being there to listen to my problems and talking Seto out of divorce,” She crawled over and wrapped her arms around Mokuba’s waist, nuzzling her face into his chest.

He held her close, patting the back of her head lovingly. “I don’t think divorce was ever an option in Seto’s mind. And please Cam, you don’t owe me anything that's what family does.”

\--

The two stayed in the same spot until the fire died out. Cameron laid on her back, using one of the lounge chair cushions to support her back so she wasn’t directly under the hard tone ground. She had stuffed a few marshmallows in her mouth, the ones she chewed were burnt. As that what she preferred. She plucked the last burnt marshmallow off the stick and held it up in the air to Mokuba.

“No thanks,” He smiled coyly, putting a hand up as a gesture to pass.

“You fainted today! The sugar will be good for you!” She rolled onto her side, keeping an arm stretched in the air while shaking her hand in his face.

Mokuba grabbed onto her wrist gently, playfully squeezing it. “I don’t like them burnt,” He laughed weakly, pretending to take a chomp out of her finger.

The teasing made Cameron squeal, snatching her hand away quickly and felt around for the bag of marshmallows and proceeded to grab a couple out of the bag.

“Here!” She flailed her hand back in the air for him.

“To be honest Cam. I’m not a big fan. They’re too sugary. But thanks anyway!” He grinned down at her and scooted away when she tossed the marshmallows at his face.

“Sabotage!~” The younger Kaiba hollered out dramatically, feeling around for his phone as it began to ring.

He glanced down at the phone fast before answering. “Hey, Seto. What’s up?”

The greeting made Cameron sit up and crawl over to Mokuba’s side as she continued to chew the rest of her marshmallow.

Mokuba stayed quiet as he listened to his brother on the other end and glanced over at Cameron when she got closer. “Yeah, I’m not finished with that report yet. And I’m gonna look over the transcripts tonight--yeah, Seto. The theatrical department just received their scripts for the gameplay a couple of days ago. You were there remember?” His eyes turned to the side to his sister-in-law that now had her arms wrapped around his burly shoulders.

Mokuba rolled his eyes with a smile, hearing the uppity tone of Seto’s voice coming from the other side of the phone. Cameron grinned back at him, leaning closer towards the phone.

“Come on Seto! Give the kid a break!” She yelled out making the older Kaiba’s voice lower.

“Is that Cameron?” She heard him say gruffly.

“Yeah, I came home to rest. I’m going back to the office after work,” He told his brother, looking down at the empty shoebox that only had Aidan the rabbit sitting in it.

The rest of the articles were burned in the chiminea. Even the group photo of Cameron, Bobby, and Norm. She put up a fight at first feeling bad knowing that her brother Bobby would feel hurt if she burnt it. Not so caring about Norm. Mokuba had coaxed her to do after a confession that Bobby had turned his back on her after choosing the more luxurious lifestyle over his love and loyalty. Cameron had told the younger Kaiba to throw it in the burning fire since she didn’t have the heart to. She had her eyes closed the whole time. Thankfully for Mokuba, he was able to keep the small American woman cheerful afterward with comforting words and corny jokes.

After hanging up phone Mokuba gently slipped away from Cameron’s grasp and stood. “Are you still planning on making dinner? Do you mind starting it now so I can head back before Seto gets ticked off?” He slipped a hand in his trouser pocket.

Cameron nodded. “Of course,” She picked up the shoebox and laid the stuffed rabbit down, placing the cover over it before handing it over to Mokuba.

“I don’t want to burn Aidan. I know he’s fake but I still feel bad. He has a face. I can’t bear to hurt him.”

Mokuba held the box tightly in his hands and nodded. “He can stay at my penthouse. I’ll let Hyori’s idol group take Aidan on trips with them. And then ship him back to Ben. Telling him that his little furry friend had an adventure,” He told her, starting to walk towards the French doors that lead inside.

The small brunette walked beside him, carrying the pillow with her and set it back on the right chair. “Mokuba?” She turned a bit.

“Yeah?” He stopped hand on the doorknob with a questionable look.

“Before I forget to ask. Why doesn’t Seto like to celebrate his birthday? Did something bad happen?” She asked.

Mokuba blinked, frowning as he let his hand slip off the knob and settled his arm to the side of him. “It was Seto’s birthday when he started gaining control of Kaiba Corp. He was given 2% of the company and was told to buy out the rest on his own. It was a really weird time because that’s when I really noticed when bro’s personality started to change. When Seto bought our step-dad out he jumped out a window. Leaving Seto with the whole company,” His tone became somber, his darkened expression clearly showing that he didn’t look forward to remembering.

Cameron stayed silent a long moment before speaking. “So Gozaburo killed himself because he lost to Seto?” She pressed her lips tightly together, eyes saddening more at Mokuba’s expression than the actual story.

Mokuba nodded slowly. “Yeah, I don’t think he thought Seto was strong enough to outwit him. Seto worked really hard because if he didn’t gain enough percentage of the company by his next birthday in that year we were going to be sent back to the orphanage,” He said, opening the door and stepped aside for her to go in first.

She tiptoed forward, patting her brother-in-law’s strong arm as she walked in before him. A chill went down her spine thinking back to the old death proposals of Seto being accused of pushing his stepfather out of the window. She didn’t want to look at her husband in that light. Cameron didn’t want to be afraid of him that it wasn’t far-fetched for the older Kaiba to off Gozaburo himself so the old man couldn’t retaliate and gain back property. All Seto ever wanted to do was to protect Mokuba and the short brunette could believe that the older Kaiba was capable of murder if he was that desperate. 

The American woman’s deep thinking must have given her a quite a strange stance. The younger Kaiba’s worried anguish voice brought her mind back to the surface. Causing her to snap her head back up from looking down. She looked at Mokuba’s concerned expression with wide eyes.

“I also think Seto doesn’t like to celebrate his birthday because he doesn’t think he’s not worthy enough of it. That there are too many more important things to worry about than his own frivolous celebration,” She said, coolly to smooth on her dark logic.

Mokuba nodded to agree with her. “No, you’re right. Bro doesn’t like to pamper himself at all.”

“I think we should bake him a cake this year. He said it was okay to get him a gift too,” Cameron said, starting to walk towards the kitchen.

Mokuba quietly followed behind her, looking down at the time on his phone. “I like that idea! He won’t say anything. But I think he’d really like it,” The younger Kaiba’s tone finally lightened up a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm coming back at you with a shorter chapter for now!~ I thought it was about time a few things that were mentioned in past chapters were finally brought back into the spotlight. Plus, it's hard to ignore when it's part of the character's development. 
> 
> Bobby is actually my best friend's character. She created him when we were little and she was actually the one who made him Cam's brother. We're still best friends and I know she won't care if I use Bobby in this plot. I'm still debating whether or not to show Bobby later on because he's literally the same character type as Jou. (He's not based off Joey. He's actually slightly based off my friend's brother at the time xD) Norm is my character. His looks were based on Hidan from Naruto (DON'T JUDGE I WAS 12!!!) But instead of being Albino Norm is a deep complexed Latino!
> 
> As for Seto really killing Gozaburo is never going to be made clear in this story. It's because both are true. In the manga where Kaiba was more ruthless, he did kick his daddy out the window but in the anime where his persona was softened Gozaburo killed himself. I take inspired from all concepts so I won't making a decision if Seto committed murder or not. You guys can decide!


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure half of you guys were waiting for this to happen. Also, this chapter was most definitely inspired by the song Undercover by Shinee. I thought it was so, so fitting for my Seto. 
> 
> I really suggest you look it up the English lyrics because I'm in love? Especially with the whole album? The two mini albums are f*cking amazing okay? Look up Undercover first because that's what I used as inspiration for Seto but the all the songs are so good. Omfg.
> 
> \- Jess

The next two days were ordinary. Both Mokuba and Cameron stayed on track with their schedules. Neither of them saw each other in the day. Only reuniting at night for dinner. With Cameron packing the younger Kaiba a lunch each morning just to make sure that he had enough energy to sustain throughout the day. Mokuba stayed confined to his work at the office as the American woman kept herself preoccupied in the manor. Only going out at night for her classes and one other time with Yugi to visit an orphanage. Yugi was still a well-known idol for duelist as he still held the title of the King of Games. Many children were ecstatic just to be in his company. The gentle rebel got on well with kids because of his kind demeanor. Spending the day handing out toys and even donating the latest models of the duel disks for the children to play with. Getting time to spend with the rambunctious tikes was truly the most enjoyable for Cameron. It made her forget about all the turmoil and loneliness she had to face at the empty mansion.

Seto still called every day to check in on how things were going along without his presences. Mainly contacting late at night his time since his wife didn’t bat an eye about answering so early in the morning to speak with him. Today was the day he was finally coming home. It was around 10 am when a trio of maids happily traipsed into the front door of the library where Mrs.Kaiba was seated at a vintage style desk with a couple of large textbooks open and a spiral journal that had kanji writing scribbled down in it. Their faces were smiling, taking joy in informing her that Mr.Kaiba’s limousine was seen out front.

With a quick ‘thank you’ Cameron stood up from her chair and slipped past the young women, the bottom frill of her eyelet skirt swayed with the movements of her swift legs. A navy blue shirt was tucked into the white skirt. It had a high neckline with buttons and a scoop collar to display her prominent collarbones. It was an elegant outfit picked just for the occasion of Seto’s arrival. The small brunette picked up the pace once she saw the door being held open by one of the butlers. Her husband’s tall frame was seen walking into the threshold, not taking notice of Cameron at first as he was too busy slipping his coat off. He stumbled back as his wife flung herself to him at full force causing him to drop his suitcase. The butler quickly picked it up for him and quietly walked out of the mudroom.

Seto stiffened his whole body from the sudden impact, placing a hand on the back of her head as a sign of caution. He did this due to habit when Mokuba was younger. When he looked down to his wife’s golden eyes met with his stern gaze.

“Hello,” His voice showed an inkling of surprise.

The American woman kept a firm grip around his waist, letting a content expression settle upon her face. She reached up and touched his jaw. “It’s gone,” she stated softly, observing the blotch of skin that was now a very pale yellow with the faintest shade of pink that was barely seen.

He took hold of her wrist gently and rubbed his hand down her arm as he lowered it back to her side. “Yes,” He answered quietly, slipping out of her grasp to remove his shoes.

Cameron stepped back and held her hands behind her back, watching intently. “How was your flight? I was going to make breakfast. Would you like to rest first?” She asked him, tilting her head and straightened her neck once he stood back up straight.

“Yes, that sounds nice actually. Thank you,” His tone was cold as it always was but this time it had a hint of softness to it.

Seto only took a few steps past before turning his face to look over at his wife who was still standing there patiently. He walked towards her and bent down making her face light up with a smile as he kissed Cameron’s lips.

She pressed her palms to the back of his neck, kissing a couple more times before he slipped away again.

“Wake me when everything is finished,” He told her tiredly before disappearing in the long hallway.

\--

Dried yoke hardened on the surface of gold foiled plates from leftover eggs florentine along with chunks of cut fruit missing from the crystal bowls. The champagne glasses were empty only having residue from the orange pulp stick to the inside of the glass from the mimosas that were enjoyed. The cleaning up was left to the help today as Mrs.Kaiba wanted to spend the most time with her husband after his trip. The two ended up in the den after a walk around of the back garden to relax. The television only served as background noise. There was the minimal conversion which was typical of the couple at this point. The stillness between them leads to cuddling. With Seto surprisingly making the first attempt at tenderness by wrapping an arm around her waist while watching the boring stock market channel. The comfort of their closeness soon became more intimate with kissing along with some light touching.

Cameron’s back was pressed into the cushions of the sofa, palms firmly placed on each side of Seto’s face as her mouth gradually opened wider for him to have better access. He arched his back in closer to her as he slid his tongue inside her mouth and kept his hands around her waist, slowly rubbing up and down her hips. His fingertips pressed into the starch fabric of her shirt desperately trying to feel the curves of her body. The closer he leaned into his wife’s small frame made her slowly readjust her position and broke the kiss once she felt Seto’s long fingers inch under her skirt and wrap around her thigh. He was being cautious. She could tell by the way he hovered his hand high enough her leg to where it was far enough away from her panties.

Cameron let a moment go by as she took the time to leave soft kisses on his pale neck only having her husband overpower her by pushing her gently back into the cushions to graze on her collarbones instead with a nibble. The leg he had a grip on was now draped over his lap. The small brunette closed her eyes to ease into this content feeling. One hand found a loose hold on his waist as the other stroked the back of his head. She felt the buttons of her blouse loosen as her husband’s mouth explored her skin. His lips finally got a rise out of her, letting out a weak moan. Feeling the warmth of his tongue along her breasts. A squeeze of her thigh was the response she got back letting her know that he approved.

She slowly opened her eyes only to be met with his calm gaze. It was almost hypnotizing. Cameron had never seen her husband’s eyes so at ease before. His eyes were such a deep blue she felt like she could drown.

“Seto, you can touch me,” She spoke in a whisper, watching him break away from her chest and slowly sit up.

“What do you mean?” He answered back in the same tone, giving her thigh another squeeze and a rub.

“Touch me the way you’ve been wanting to,” She answered, glancing out the threshold to make sure no ears were around to hear them.

“I think I’m ready,” She admitted, purposely making eye-contact with her husband.

\--

They held hands while walking upstairs and headed to the west wing where both their bedrooms were located. Cameron held close to her husband, pressing cheek to his upper arm. Her heart was beating out of her chest feeling rather nervous. Her head shot up when Seto finally spoke after a long while of silence.

“Where would you feel more comfortable in? Your bedroom or mine?” He asked calmly, he still wore his pro-poker face. Unsure if Seto was feeling as anxious as her.

She paused, feet slowly stopping to a halt in sync with her husband’s of the hallway. “Your room. Wouldn’t you like it in there better?” She asked in a hush, feeling self-conscious of whatever help was might be around.

Seto nodded, keeping a tight grip on her hand as he continued to walk past her bedroom and headed to his own.

“If you’re more comfortable there then yes,” He tried to reassure her.

Cameron felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach at his words. Her husband always spoke so coldly but his intentions were true. It was nice he was taking into consideration what she wanted. Supposing that he knew this was a big deal for her. And did not want to make his wife feel in danger.

She let her eyes close, hearing the pitter patter of her own feet touch against the hardwood floor. Her muscles tensed up a bit one she felt Seto’s arm wrap around her shoulder. The squeak to his door opened lightly pressing his palm to the middle of her back as a sign for her to step into his room. She shot opened her eyes and walked in ahead. The surrounding she was so familiar with was beginning to foreign. The clean scent of his room was stronger to her than usual as the maids must have wiped down the furniture earlier this morning.

“Don’t be timid now,” He whispered to her, kissing the top of her ear while walking past her and headed straight towards his dresser. He stood with his back turned as he unclipped his watch from his wrist and placed in a wooden box where his other watches were stored.

Cameron caught a glimpse of the pocket watch as the box was being closed as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. It was a gift from Mokuba. She remembered the younger Kaiba telling her that Seto valued it very much because it was a gift Mokuba gave him while studying abroad. He said Seto never vocalized it but he knew his older brother has missed him terribly when Mokuba was gone. Saying that Seto was the type to never admit to it not only for his pride but also so his baby brother didn’t feel bad. Which the American woman could understand. When Mokuba was in college is when Seto first initiated communication with Cameron. It was a clear indication that perhaps she was an escape of loneliness for the cynical CEO.

“Do you mind lighting up a little? You’re acting like you’re attending a funeral,” Seto asked gruffly.

She could feel his shadow cast over her as he stood in front of her. “Oh, I’m sorry,” She perked her head and touched her face, glancing up at him and turned slightly when he sat next to her.

He moved a strand of her hair out of her face. “I don’t want you doing this to please me. I’m only interested if you want it as well,” He spoke softly to her.

His eyes were still unreadable, cold as ice perusal. But she believed her husband’s words. He had a chance to take advantage of her when they were still in the den if his motives were selfish. Cameron stared down at her hands folded in her lap before stretching over towards Seto suddenly and wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders and lip-locked with him. He stiffened only for a second, surprised by her at first and quickly relaxed his muscles and eased into the kiss.

His hands fiddled with her shirt, popping open the rest of the buttons and untucked shirt by tugging the bottom to free her torso from the garment. With the help of Cameron swiftly lifting her arms up for him to slip it off her and tossed it aside on the floor. Seto ran his hands down her skin, squeezing his fingertips into her hips. He broke the kiss and took a breath of air.

“Lay down for me,” He murmured to her, leaning in close to suckle at her neck and yanked off the bra that was already loose from her body from the session downstairs and tossed that onto the floor as well.

Cameron nodded in hesitation, taking it upon herself to start undoing the zipper in the back of her skirt before crawling onto the bed. Seto shooed her hand away, undoing the clasp for her and pulled the skirt off her as she made her way towards the middle of the bed. He let his hand glide over the curves of her body when she slowly past him over the comforter. Giving a faint shiver at his touch.

Once she laid down on her back she stared up at her husband with weary eyes. Seto hovered over her smaller build. Sitting on his knee and rubbed at one of her legs, taking a good look at her pink panties that had a lace border.

“A matching set?” He smirked, taking a glace down the identical bra on the floor.

His eyes gleamed with amusement when he looked back over at his wife’s face. “You were planning this weren’t you?” He mused to her, arching his back to reach her face and kiss.

She looked away with a blush, pressing her lips together in a pout. “Maybe,” She accepted his kiss without protest and pressed her palms to the tops of his shoulders.

Seto held the kiss a moment before breaking it and began kissing at her collarbones and down her chest plate. He began to suckle at her skin a moment and stopped once her breasts caught his eye. He touched the one with the fading bruise and placed kisses onto that one first. Taking no time to grab both of them and massaged them together and suckled on them at once. His tongue found her nipples, taking pleasure in suckling the mounds. The tips of his teeth are what made her squirm. Her body was moving the way he wanted it to causing him to focus on another part of her now. He pressed his lips to the rest of her torso, trailing kisses until he made it closer to her lower belly. Running his tongue down her smooth skin and suckled above her lacey waistband of her panties. His mouth tickled her, causing Cameron to wiggle slightly at his subtle touches. Seeing him get closer between her legs made the small brunette woman pull her hands away from his shoulders and covered her face with her arms, flushed with embarrassment.

He lifted his head up in alert. “Cameron,” He husked to her and sat back up.

“Yes?” She mewled to him, keeping her eyes covered.

“Are you enjoying this?” He asked sternly, his calm gaze studying her body language.

She shook her head in response, letting her nerves consume her. The answer didn’t cut it for the skeptical billionaire as he grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her arm away from her face so their stare could meet. His wife’s eyes were frightened, taken back from his sudden forcefulness.

“I’m enjoying it,” She whimpered, slowly sitting up when he gestured for her to sit up.

He took a hold of her hand and helped her stand back in front of him as he sat on the edge of the bed, one leg hanging off and the other crossed.

“Come sit,” He told her, leading her towards him and brought her into his lap.

She sat there, facing away from her husband with her legs hanging over his. Shuddering when she felt his hands cup her breasts together again.

“Don’t be frightened. Just let go and relax,” He whispered into her ear before nibbling at her lobe.

Cameron nodded, resting her back into his chest and grabbed onto his arm as she felt his fingers sneaking between her legs and brush against the fabric of the panties.

“It’d be such a shame to let this beautiful body go to waste without anybody admiring it,” He spoke softly to her, pinching at one of her nipples and pressed his fingertips into the soft material of the lace. Finding the switch that excited his wife caused her to jolt up in surprise. The sudden movement made Seto hold onto her waist and proceeded to slip his fingers past the fold of her panties and dug into the right spot.

This forgotten feeling made Cameron squirm, uncontrollably pulling forward slightly as she felt her husband thrust his fingers in slowly.

Seto let out a quiet chuckle. “Did I find what you were looking for?” He asked, kissing at the crook of her neck and squeezed her closer to him so she couldn’t escape his lap.

She nodded, letting out a faint moan, squeezing her thighs between his hand that was still keeping its pace.

“I-it’s been awhile,” She whined softly. Leaning her head back against him.

“I can tell. You’re so wet,” He chimed in slickly, continuing to play with one of her breasts as his other hand did all the work downstairs.

A louder whine escaped her as she felt his fingers become faster in movement. Face flushing from his words. It caused her to bite her bottom lip, digging her nails into the skin of his arm. It was the only thing that was keeping her from falling out of his lap at the moment. She cocked her head to the side, eyes widening in shock catching her husband’s cunning blue eyes peeking over her shoulder at her through the reflection of the mirror hanging over his dresser. A small gasp escaped her with a spark of pleasure. She felt Seto’s hand grab hold of her chin when she lowered her head down not to see herself. He purposely held her head in place so she had no choice but to look. Disregarding her husband’s physical command she kept her eyes tightly shut.

“Open your eyes and let me see that beautiful face,” He ordered, hooking a couple of fingers inside her mouth as moans started to escape her.

She shook her head at first, finally giving in once she realized his grip was staying strong. Her eyes opened again, staring straight into the mirror where Seto was still watching slyly. The state of pleasure that was building up within her caused her face to droop. Her eyes were unrecognizable. As they looked dazed, she felt her head to be unclear. Itching for that release. Noticing that her husband had slowed his fingers as some sort of punishment. Causing her to wiggle against his body, just now really feeling the something that was poking it against her rear. Every time she squirmed against her husband he pressed his hips closer, enjoying the friction between them. It didn’t take the American woman long to realize what that was.

As a reward for her obedience, Seto squeezed her back close to his chest as he thrusted his fingers rougher once more. It set a strong shock of pleasure through the small brunette’s body letting out a yelp despite the fingers wedged in her mouth as an attempt to quiet her down.

To the couple’s dismay, a knock on the door broke the steamy atmosphere. Without warning, Seto released his hold on Cameron and bolted to the door and cracked it open. He was met by a maid, looking quite frightened most likely from the disgruntled expression on her boss’s face.

“Yes?” He hissed.

“Can I help you?” His tone was venomous. Which was understandable, nobody wanted to be blue-balled by a maid.

Her eyes wandered to the side, regretting the effort of checking on his well-being. “Oh! Um, I’m sorry Mr.Kaiba I just heard something strange. I wanted to make sure you were alright--” She bit her tongue, already prepared for the patronizing comments.

“I’m sorry are you a doctor?” He scoffed at her with daggers for eyes.

“Well, n-no I--”

“Then it’s none of your concern to check up on me! What are you even doing up here? Shouldn’t there be more important tasks to take care of downstairs? If I catch you up here again you’re fired!” He shouted, slamming the door in the poor girl's face and locked it.

Cameron flinched at the ruthlessness of her husband. She has rested on the bed again this time with her arms wrapped around a pillow. She sat up once he came closer as he ran his fingers through his hair while he walked back in front of the bed.

“You shouldn’t have been that cruel to her,” She frowned, glancing at the bulge that was still protruding through his trousers.

“Would you rather me take it out on you? It’s daytime. You have to keep quiet,” He raised a brow and followed where her stare met.

“Do you like what you see?” He smirked, stretching his arms over and grabbing onto her knees to pull her back to the edge of the bed.

Cameron shrilled in surprise, earning her a signature glare from her husband. Both his palms were placed on each side of her small form. He stared darkly down at her.

“What did I just say?” He ran his fingers down her torso and belly. Soon finding her panties and yanked them off with force and threw them aside.

They caught eyes only for a moment, having Seto’s attention fastened by that one exclusive part of her that he had been longing to explore.

“What a pretty thing,” He grinned in amusement, letting out a chuckle and pressed his thumb to her delicate nub.

His touch made his wife shiver. “You’re such a tease, Seto,” She grumbled softly.

“A tease! Don’t make me laugh, Cameron! You don’t recall all those times you tempted me in this very bed?” He pushed her legs open just to take a better look.

This made her blush. “Seto,” She whined, pulling her legs away from him and sat up to begin to undo the buttons on his dress shirt.

“Let me do something for you?” She looked up at him with squinted eyes. He placed his hands over hers to halt her fingers.

“The only thing I want you to do is to lay back down and let me have you for once,” His tone had become dangerous, removing his hand and caressed the side of her face to run his thumb across her lip teasingly.

Her stare hardened, trying to understand his motives of declining her offer. She nodded and settled back down on the comforter as she was told.

“Will you undress for me? I don’t want it to be like the others,” She asked softly in hesitation.

Seto paused, staring at her questionable and recalled the conversion so long ago during the cruise trip. And the confession of hiding his scars from the women he enjoyed before her.

“Of course,” He uttered.

He nodded to her in response and finished unbuttoning his shirt and shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor with the rest of the discarded clothing. His eyes never left the sight of his wife’s naked body laid over his bed. His expression like one of a hungry wolf. Once his pants hit the floor he hopped back on the bed and hovered back over her small frame.

Cameron made it a point not to be caught staring at the part of her husband that the whole world was curious about. It was what you would expect from the great Seto Kaiba. Fangirls around the world would be fainting at the sight of it. It only made her slightly weary since it had been years since the American woman had been with a man in such a way. The thought of not being equipped for such a thing was a concern.

“Look at my little foxy wife turn into nothing more than a shy rabbit in front of me,” He taunted in jest, stroking his girth against her small nub before slipping himself into her opening.

A small gasp followed by some sort of sigh came from Cameron. Her hips scooted upwards a bit to meet her husband’s as he lowered himself down once his length was fully in. Their noses brushed lightly with his hands cupping her breasts again, purposely tugging at her nipples as his hips pushed into her and began a rhythmic motion. The small brunette made sure to only moan lowly, wrapping her legs around his waist as a habit of a sense of security. She held onto each side of his neck to keep Seto’s face close to her and kissed gently.

“I-t’s good,” she cooed to him, sliding her hands to the back of his head to stroke her fingers through his hair.

“Has it been long for you t-too?--” She stuttered, biting her bottom lip from the wave of pleasure that was building.

Seto grunted with a nod as a response, getting too tangled in his own desires caused him to buck his hips much rougher without hesitation. The sudden thrusting made his small wife jolt in pleasure, trying her hardest to keep her voice down. Seto had managed his head out of her hold as he lifted up a bit, holding himself up in a sitting position keeping his back arched and his calm gaze on his wife’s flustered expression. He caressed the side of her face, letting her uncontrolled cries fuel his passion.

“What a naughty girl you are. Gripping onto to me so tightly,” He teased, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist to hoist her into his lap.

She willingly followed his led, bouncing to the rough pace of his hips as she desperately clung onto to his shoulders for support and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

Seto cradled her in his arms. One hand firmly holding onto her rear, squeezing it tightly. As the other was wrapped around her back to secure her against him. Not satisfied with her constant hiding he leaned his chest away so his wife was forced to look up at him. He cupped her chin, watching her face fall apart in front of him.

“I-I can’t anym-more! Kiss me!” Cameron whined loudly, shaking her head. She squeezed the tops of her husband’s strong shoulders tightly.

With Seto’s unmoved expression a smile curved his lips, leaning his face in close to kiss her deeply. He felt her lower half spasm, tightening around him caused him to quiver. He broke the kiss and held her close to him again as she finished riding out her orgasm. The cunning brunette settled his small wife’s body down. Once he felt himself finally coming undone a deep grunt escaped him with breath hitching. His lasts couple of thrusts were the most forceful before releasing.

Cameron’s hips twitched, mewling out another moan as she felt his warmth when her husband pulled out and collapsed beside her. His heavy panting caught her ear, turning to face him with a kiss on the lips. Their arms found each other quite quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About Seto's sex life: My interpretation of Seto is that he's actually quite caring. I can see him being devoted to his partner. I can still see him be a kinky motherf*cker but with love to his partner still. Not where he's being selfish and fucking just to satisfy himself. I haven't written smut in awhile. So I hope it's well written. (Cause I like to be discreet on the details of what's happening to keep it tasteful. Ya feel me?)
> 
> In reality, if we're going by cannon Seto probably doesn't have a sexuality because that's not the main focus of the plot. I can see Kaiba in all aspects.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing major here. Just a little discussion between the couple and some bonding with the trio. <3
> 
> I got the idea of Mokuba picking Seto up from the k-pop group Vixx. Leo is one of the older members who is very Tsundere and Hyuk is the baby of the six of them. Not only did he grow taller than everybody but he literally picks up Leo and flings him around. I was a also reminded of Scartletbell's inspiration of Mokie where he grows much larger than his brother. Which I think is extremely cute. So see it as a little homage!

Cameron fluttered her eyes open with a squint. Getting a whiff of the smooth attractive scent of her husband's cologne. She looked down seeing Seto's head rested on her chest. His arms were loosely around her waist as he slept. It was hard not to smile. Even the cold-hearted CEO of Kaiba Corp surrendered to the bosom of a woman. It was a scenario the American woman was very familiar with. All men were the same in this aspect. Just like little boys, they felt secure in the arms of a female. Nature was to blame for this behavior. The flattery she felt towards Seto finally showing his vulnerability towards her finally was immense. The jet lag he must have felt was still in full effect. He seemed to be in a deep sleep, cheek pressed against the cleavage of her chest. It made her giggle, slipping a hand out from under the covers to stroke her fingers to the back of his head and rested her chin on top of his crown.

It didn't occur to her that she fell back asleep until she awoke to those deep blue eyes. The sensation of drowning set in again, perhaps it was part of the afterglow she felt.

"Hello," She cooed to him, stretching her body to lay herself across his chest.

"Hi," He mumbled back.

Seto was laying flat on his back, phone in hand as he scrolled through blocks of text. He sprawled his arm out to welcome her to his side. Once she was settled against him he wrapped an arm around her small frame.

"Don't tell me you're working even on your day off," She glanced at his screen, resting an arm across his bare torso.

His face looked uninterested. But, knowing too much it was likely that he was listening.

"I'm not working. Just looking over a couple of things," He slowly glanced over at her with his stern look.

"Then put it away?" She asked, rubbing lovingly at his chest.

Seto stared at her a good moment before clicking out of the page he was on and set his phone aside on the nightstand. He turned to his side, dragging her towards him.

"Are you trying to lure me?" He asked, darkly with a smug expression overshadowing his face.

"Do I even have to try?" She grinned, rubbing at the back of his shoulders and pressed her palms into his skin.

He leaned in to kiss her lips, pulling her body to the curve of his much larger build.

"No," He admitted.

"You're fully mine now. You never had to lure me. I was always attracted," He gazed at her neck and down her collar bones.

Cameron closed her eyes, letting herself melt into the disaster of what were the sheets now. "Is it because you've left your scent? Like some type a sort of dog?" She opened her eyes once she felt the light brushing of his lips stop.

"That's a very vulgar way of putting it. But yes, if you're referring to the fact that I feel better now that I have had you in my arms like this finally. Then you're right. It was ridiculous that you are my wife and two lowlives were the only ones to see the secret erotic side of you. They don't deserve the privilege. I do!" He growled out, placing a hand to his chest to gesture to himself.

"Especially after they used you just for a toy to pleasure themselves with! Pathet--" He abruptly was cut off by his wife who had grabbed onto his chest and yanked herself upwards to catch him in a deep kiss. Letting go of whatever speech he blurting out Seto lowered his neck and fed into her mouth, slipping his hands underneath the covers and tugged at her erect nipples.

It made her squeal, breaking the kiss and stared deeply into his eyes. "Thank you for undressing for me. I know it wasn't something you were fully comfortable with," She said, gently.

"Why are you thanking me? You've seen them before. There's no hiding it," He scoffed, referring to his back scars. Peeking under the covers to view her naked body.

"I still appreciate it because it was something you weren't used to doing with clothes off," She said, catching his eyes and grabbed the top blanket from him to cover herself.

His eyes scanned back to her face, his expression as unimpressed as ever. "You're my wife. You shall not be treated like the women I've experienced in the past. They weren't valuable to me like you are," Seto's voice was stern as his eyes softened when he spoke.

Cameron could feel overwhelming emotions soak into her bones. His words pierced through her heart like a hot blade through butter. She was overjoyed to hear those words from her mouse husband. All this time it had felt like she was always second best. Always competing to win over his trust. Her distressed state must have frightened her husband. Causing his eyes to widen in concern.

"What?" He looked down at her as she buried her face in his chest to cry. Her arms held tightly to his waist. Finally truly feeling safe in his arm.

\--

After taking turns showering. Cameron stripped her husband's bed even after Seto reprimanded her several times not to and to just let the maids do it. After a bit of insisting and outright disregarding the CEO's orders, she carried the dirty linen to the laundry basket in the walk-in closet. And made her way out to the main hall where none of the help staff was to be seen. It was understandable not to see any of the maids on this floor of the mansion after the big blow-up Seto had made. It took her awhile to find the closet where the sheets were stored. And scurried back to his bedroom to redress the bed.

The couple spent the rest of the day close to each other. Even when it came to menial things such as checking the quality of Cameron's vegetable garden. Finding it highly amusing that Seto was taking interest in the growth of carrots and squash. She knew he didn't actually care but was asking because if he knew it was something his wife liked to do. And she could appreciate that.

They ended up in the smaller game room to watch the ending duel monsters tournament that was being hosted in the Philippines as the television screen was much bigger than in the den and living room. It wasn't the global championship but caught Seto's attention regardless. A knitted blanket covered Cameron's curled up body. It was a hammy-down from Mokuba. There were a few items the American woman had accumulated over time from the younger Kaiba that she considered hammy-downs. Which was hilarious to her considering the context of it and how she was older than him. She pressed close to her husband's much larger form, head rested on his chest and arm laying across his stomach. Seto had one arm draped over the back of the couch with the other on the arm of the couch holding an iced coffee in a to-go cup.

Cameron watched intently at the duelist on the playing field. Taking a strange sense of pride seeing her husband's technology being used with their duel disks and other flashy devices for the platform. She'd ask Seto questions about what went on during the game. Some being quite simple but were happily answered by her husband with great detail. He would predict the mistakes each player would make. And without a miss, he was correct on each time a duelist made the wrong move. It was amazing to his wife, seeing how fast he was at reading the opponent's strategies. Duel Monsters was his first passion. Even before he took hold of the company. It reminded her of why he must have taken his friend Atem's death no hard. He was connected to something that helped Seto really loved. It was an honest shame.

"Seto," She called weakly, rubbing her hand down his side and lifted her head to look up at his face.

"Yes?" He asked, eyes glued to the screen of the television with a straw in his mouth to sip the iced Americano brew.

"Can you tell me what Atem was like?" She lowered her voice further, fearing the negative comeback she'd get.

After taking a sip of his coffee Seto reached forward to set it down on the glass table and glanced over at her. "Why don't you just ask Yugi?" He said coldly, resting his back into the cushions of the couch.

"Because Yugi had a different relationship with him. I want to hear it from you," She told him, sitting up straight to lock arms with him.

"Please, Seto?" Cameron frowned, shifting her eyes away when his cold stare made contact with her.

He stayed stone-faced a long while with a prominent scowl curving his lips. "He was...a very good duelist. The best. Better than Yugi. He's the one who taught Yugi how to be the King of Games," He finally spoke, crossing his leg and turned his gaze to the side. Trying brush off the uncomfortable feeling he had.

Cameron nodded, releasing her grip on him to make him feel more at ease. "And you took his death hard," She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as she watched the familiar blank expression settle onto her husband's face.

"He was wrong for leaving like that without finishing his duties here," Aggression seeped through his tone quickly as he turned to look back towards the small brunette beside him.

"But that's over now. It's done. It's finished. It doesn't matter. It's in my past and it doesn't control me anymore. I was a fool for acting so impulsive. I have grown from that. And I'd appreciate you never bring up his name again. Do you understand me?" His tongue was sharp when he said this. It put Cameron on edge. But it still didn't stop her.

"It still sounds like you're still hurting," She pried, testing her luck just to see how far this would take her.

"Well, I'm not! I'm not like you Cameron. I don't dwell on the past and try to find answers from dead ends. I move on! And you should too!" He snapped, keeping enough composure from stopping him from leaving the couch.

"I just let you stick your dick in me and violate my body," She told him emotionlessly.

"Which, for you probably wasn't a big deal. But for me it was. If you don't consider that as a way of me moving on from something tragic. Then you're a dumbass," Her stare hardened as what was said was a serious matter for her.

Seto's eyes softened from concern, feeling secretly dirty from her explanation of it. "I didn't use your body for my own gratification. I did it to feel closer to you. I'm a man of course Cameron. The view of you unclothed is appealing to me. But I have no personal gain. You're my wife, I want to enjoy sensuality with you," He kept his voice calm, arms tightly folded against his chest.

"And I want to enjoy that with you too," Her demeanor softened as well.

"Just don't tell me that you're not like me. Because you are like me. But the only difference between us is that you won't let yourself hurt while I find comfort in misery," She pulled the blanket that was now slipping off the couch over her legs.

The cutthroat CEO pressed his lips together, gears in his mind turning as he made it obvious that he was thinking of the right words. Before he could speak Cameron stretched her arm out and pointed to his coffee cup.

"Now hand over that coffee! I don't want to argue. I just want to continue relaxing with you," She said, flopping back down to his side as he gingerly handed her the remaining drink.

"Getting daring, are we? Do you think you have me wrapped around your finger now?" He cracked an unnerved grin, draping an arm over her side.

Cameron took a long sip before speaking. "Perhaps," She grinned back, reaching over to squeeze onto his knee.

Mokuba waltz into the game room shortly after the Championship dueling program was over.

"Fam! What's up!" His face lit up the room with both Cameron and Seto looked over at him unimpressed.

"Welcome home, you walking talking meme," Cameron sat back up, pushing the blanket off her now when Mokuba made his way closer to them.

"What are you so happy about?--Gah!" Seto asked dryly, wincing as his baby brother plopped into his lap suddenly, sprawling his legs out so his feet set in Cameron's lap.

"I'm happy to see ya' bro!" Mokuba grinned from ear to ear as he raised a hand and ruffled Seto's hair into a mess.

The older Kaiba's eyes dulled, face forming a smirk and jerked his head away from him.

"You no longer weight ten pounds anymore. Don't you think you're a little too old for this?" He sneered, wrapping his arms around Mokuba and slowly standing from the couch.

A crack was heard when he lifted his arms to get a better hold on the bulkier brother. Seto winced again, letting out a groan as he dropped Mokuba onto the tile floor of the room. The younger Kaiba let out a shout of surprise and sprung up back onto his feet.

"Seto are you okay?" Cameron frowned, crawling over to her husband and reached over to touch his upper arm.

"Sorry, bro! I didn't think I was that heavy!" Mokuba stepped closer and patted his back making the older Kaiba aggressively shooed his hand away.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" He reached his hand to the back of his shoulder and pressed hard onto it, closing his eyes trying to make the aching his muscles subside.

Mokuba slipped his hands in his pants pockets, watching his brother with a frown. "I'm not ten pounds. But I know who is," A toothy smile spread across his face, looking over at his sister-in-law.

\--

Seto Kaiba was face down onto the floor with the knitted blanket from earlier under him for a soft brace. It was quite a sight to see. Making the stone-faced CEO look foolish like a beached seal lost at the shore.

Cameron stood at her husband's feet, looking over at Mokuba for security. "Are you sure this is alright to do? What if I hurt him?" Her eyes cast down on her Seto who was lying still.

"Yes! Now step on him! Come on Cam! Let out some of that inner rage you have!" He let out a laugh when he felt his older brother jab at his ankle at the suggestion.

The younger Kaiba held out a hand for his sister-in-law. She slowly placed her smaller palm into his larger one as he held it and helped her step up onto the middle of Seto's back. Right away another crack was heard that followed up with a low exaggerated groan.

Cameron looked down at her husband. "Are you okay?" She tightened her grip on Mokuba's hand as she hopped off Seto's back quickly.

He slowly nodded, still face first in the blanket as he rolled his shoulders letting them crack into place a couple of times before positioning himself in a planking stance before lifting himself up into a push-up. Mokuba bent over and grabbed his older brother from around the waist, pulling him up forcefully and held him in his arms.

"Oh my God! Don't hurt yourself Mokuba!" The small brunette covered her smile with her hand as she watched the younger Kaiba twirl Seto around like a rag-doll.

The cynical CEO laid limp in his brother's arms. Eyes looking tired only having his expression still unfazed by the swaying. The only effect he made was to curl his legs up in the air so they didn't drag against the floor. Eventually Mokuba threw the older Kaiba onto the couch and pounced on him right after. Having Seto let out another groan, this time in surprise and wrapped his arms around the bulkier structure into a hug. The two laid there slumped against each other with Seto more scrunched into the cushions of the couch.

"What has gotten into you?" Cameron watched on with a swelling heart. The brother's bond was truly heart-warming. She could see her husband's eyes looking fondly at Mokuba with a soft smile. He did very much love him.

"I missed my brother!" Mokuba answered loudly, stretching his neck up to look up at the American woman.

The words caused Seto to place a hand on the back of Mokuba's head, fingers getting lost in the mess of thick black hair. "I missed you too. You did a great job covering for me while I was gone."

Feeling left out Cameron charged over and leaped onto both of them, trying to squeeze her way in between the two. Mokuba laughed out loud, pulling her in first as he was slipping half off the couch to sandwich his tiny sister-in-law in the middle. With Cameron now part of the equation it was tougher for Seto to keep a tight grip on the younger Kaiba. He was already wedged so far back his wife didn't make it any more easier for him to keep them both close-knit. Instead, The American woman hugged onto Mokuba. She wasn't strong enough to pull him back onto the couch nor was there enough room. But her hold kept him in place.

"I won't let you fall Mokuba! I promise!" Cameron squeezed him lovingly as she very slowly started to slip off the edge due to the heavyweight of her brother-in-law.

Seto struggled to sit up, fringe sticking up from his hair being tousled thanks to being squished into the couch. When he felt the two of them slipping off he grabbed onto the back of his wife's shirt. The attempt was in vain as both fell immediately after with a thud. The small brunette was the one who let out a squealed shrill.

The older Kaiba fully sat up now, free from being crushed by two bodies. He peered over the couch.

"You two look ridiculous," he smirked down at them in amusement, using his fingers to smooth his hair back in place.

Cameron was laying on top of Mokuba, hugging close to his chest. She looked up at Seto with large eyes.

"I'm sorry? What was that? I couldn't hear you over the view of those forehead wrinkles," She teased.

Mokuba's chest went up and down when he laughed, hand finding a spot on his sister-in-law's chest to rest upon. "I love you guys," His eyes squinted in content when he smiled.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I legit couldn't sleep so I wrote this out in one night. Right at the end, I was worried whether or not I made Seto too soft. Like--When I was writing his lines I was wondering if I made him too caring? But I also feel like because Seto is so exclusive towards the people he loves (Like Mokuba) He'd act more compassionate. Can we please not forget how in the anime he covers Mokie up with his jacket to keep warm as a blanket? I think the way I convey Seto is that because he feels safe with Cam now that he's willing to act more nurturing towards her now. Instead of keeping guard of his heart. Because he didn't know her intentions at first.

The room to Seto’s bedroom was dark, a relaxing grey tint shadowed the room. The cooler weather meant that it didn’t brighten up until later in the day. It was early morning, around 5 am. The typical time the CEO woke up for work. His alarm went off only having him rise up from the under covers as his wife had amazing slept through the blaring noise. He let her sleep, like her willingness to share a bed with him after their intimate encounter. The brisk cold from the autumn air made him shiver ever so slightly. Making Seto walk towards his window near his desk and quickly shut it before walking to the bathroom, glancing over at his wife’s sleeping. He did his daily routine of shaving, brushing his teeth and the other normal grooming one does before leaving the house.

The time on his phone caused Seto to finished dressing quickly, walking back to the bed and bent over to touch the small shoulder of the American woman sleeping in his sheets.

“Cameron, I’m leaving soon. Get up,” He said lowly as he adjusted the tie to his suit. Seeing that he wasn’t getting a response he shook her gently.

Slowly but surely the small brunette stirred in her sleep, letting out a whine as she swung her arm over the empty pillow beside her and opened her eyes that had Seto’s unimpressed face the first view she had this morning.

“What?” She barely managed out, eyes blinking slowly trying to grasp the situation.

“I’m leaving for work. Let’s eat breakfast,” He said in a bit of annoyance.

She squinted at her husband’s face in confusion, nodding slowly and sat up. “Okay, “ She mumbled and folded the covers over to slip out of bed.

Seto stepped back and turned back to his walk-in closet to finish dressing. He turned sharply when he heard Cameron cry out in pain, only seeing her faintly thanks to the darkened room having the light from the closet is the only brightness.

“What happened?” He stared in her direction in concern seeing her sitting back on the bed rubbing her leg.

“I can’t stand up!” She whined.

Seto looked at her a long while, processing what could be wrong. “Did you hurt yourself roughhousing with Mokuba? I told you not to wrestle him. I know you see him as a child but he’s still bigger than you an--”

“This is your fault,” She cut him off with a pout.

“What! How is this my fault? I’m not the one who dragged you across the living room floor!” He barked, referencing the happenings of last nights antics.

“But you were tough with me yesterday morning weren’t you!” She answered with an uppity tone back.

Seto was ready to fight back with a snappy comeback but stopped himself as reality hit him. A smirk slowly grew on his face, turning the light off in the closet and closed the door behind him.

“That my dear is your own fault. If you took up the offer when I asked you to go jogging with me and Mokuba your leg muscles would be strong enough not to be affected,” He crossed his arms, staring down at her hand that was still placed to her upper leg.

“Oh, don’t justify it and try to sound intelligent! How am I suupose to get anything done today?” She kept a frown.

“I think you’re overreacting. I didn’t even see you try to walk,” He looked down at her critically.

“I don’t need to try when my legs are shaky from standing! I know this feeling, I’ll stumble if I try to walk!” Her eyes widened seeing her husband’s tall frame come towards her quickly and crouch down in front of the bed by her feet.

“Is that so?” His tone was dull, the darkened room was hard to see Seto’s exact expression but Cameron could tell enough that he was indifferent to what she said.

“What are doing?” She asked, puzzled as she felt his large hands reach up legs from under the bottom of the oversized shirt she was wearing.

“Since you’re complaining I thought I’d give you some temporary relief,” He said with enough smugness to be heard in the background of his voice.

Cameron’s tiny pajama shorts and panties got pulled off at once with her husband tossing them aside. He pushed up the bottom of the worn looking t-shirt to get a view of her lower half.

“Seto, we can’t! You just complained about going downstairs for breakfast!” She felt her face heat up, feeling his eyes on her as she squeezed her thighs together in embarrassment.

It annoyed her husband, only to have him pull her legs apart again.

“You’re an experienced woman. Stop acting like a schoolgirl,” He scolded, keeping a tight hold on each of her upper thighs as he took it upon himself to lean his face in between her legs to kiss her most delicate part.

“Seto! Stop! You’ll be late for work and blame me!” She whined softly, wiggling her hips a bit before completely surrendering once she felt his tongue on her little pink nub. A sharp shiver went through her spine, letting out a weary sigh.

Seto slid a hand down her leg to wrap his fingers around her ankle to get a better grip. He moved his face in closer to get more familiar and used his free hand to tease her part better with his fingers. It made Cameron squirm, taking no time to have her become submissive to his touch. Once he opened his mouth wide enough to explore is what really caused the small brunette to squeal. It only made him use his tongue rougher, squeezing her leg tighter to prevent her from wiggling away. His wife had arched her back from the intense sensation. Completely bowing her head with folded hands rested on top of his head as she hid her face into her forearms. Her body trembled everytime his tongue hit the right spot inside her. It didn’t even take a minute to make Cameron break. It wasn’t just the pleasure that got her caught up. It was the very soft sound of Seto’s lips against the wetness of her body that ended it all with a loud moan.

With light trembling Cameron fell back on the bed, panting slightly keeping her face covered with her arms. She still felt her husband’s lips against her skin but this time kisses brushing against her inner thighs. That turned into suckling which meant he was leaving hickies that were now becoming his signature.

“Seto, you’re terrible,” She mewled out with shaky arms as she uncovered her face to catch his fierce blue eyes out from between her legs still. She was right, there was now a batch of small bruises cluttered together on each upper thigh that was closest to the spot of her body that he was most infatuated with.

“The sun’s out now. You have to keep your voice down. Do you want that young butler to hear your cries of ecstasy?” His tone was sharp like it normally was when he was unimpressed with her. But how shameful it was that this time he was reprimanding from between her legs.

She couldn’t bear to look at him this way, turning her head to the side and stared at the dresser to distract her mind from the situation.

“Of course not!” Her voice held that whine at the end of her husband hated so much. It’d be modifying if Kaito heard her in this way. He was younger then Mokuba. Only eighteen. Cameron would never want to have the butler see her in such a light as a lewd woman.

She lifted her head up fast when she felt her body be pulled more towards the edge of the bed again, Seto was now standing up with a hold on her leg yet again. He stared down at her darkly. The zipper to his dress pants was already undone with his object of desire fully erect. The sunlight shined through the blinds of the bedroom, making it hard to ignore the display in front of her.

“You’re mine now. That means I’m the only that is allowed to hear your erotic voice,” He purred to her as he took hold of himself and slowly slipped into her snug spot.

The petite brunette let out a soft moan, getting a good look at their two parts meeting. Seto had pressed her leg up straight against his chest and over his shoulder as he held onto it and used his other hand to forcefully pull her shirt up to see her bare chest.

“You’re going to be late!” She cried out softly from his hips starting to rock slowly into her.

“ I’ll make it quick then!” He bent down to kiss her, getting a taste of herself on his lips before he wandered along her chest plate. Seto’s thrusts increasingly, much stronger to keep his word on making this a short session.

It was difficult for the American woman to keep her voice down, arching her back instinctively to help reach a deeper part of her. She used her teeth to bite on her thumb to keep quiet. This gesture only amused her husband as the bed shook lightly to the frantic motions of his hips.

“Admit it, you longed to have a taste of this again. I can tell by your face. You naughty girl~” He taunted her, she knew it was nothing personal. It was Seto’s way of helping himself get off quicker. Cameron knew this, by the way, his shaft pulsed inside her when she’d answer him.

“Y-yes,” she managed to squeak out with a heavy breath, looking up at her husband with half-lidded eyes getting engulfed in the waves of pleasure that overcame her. Desperately waiting for the finale to overcome her.

He smirked down at her, reaching over to rub lovingly down her neck and squeezed gently at her small shoulder as he kept his rough pace. “Teasing me all those times. Is this what you fantasize about? Turning into nothing more than a sloppy mess in my bed by my own hands?”

She coiled around him, finally reaching her peak as the thrusts were too much for her to handle. The only answer she responded to was continuous moaning she could no longer hold back. The only self-control she had left was to make sure her voice didn’t carry through the room. Seto wasn’t satisfied by this only making his hips come to a halt. He noticeable twitched inside her, edging her and himself.

Cameron squirmed. “Don’t stop!” She whimpered, eyes widening up at him.

“Tell me what you want,” He ordered her with a stern gaze.

She bit her lip, she knew this game very well. It wasn’t the first time a man wanted her to beg for him. It was an ego trip for a man. The male pride was a fragile thing. In a lot of cases, men were like boys. They felt inferior and wanted to feel in control. Especially when it came to sex.

“I want it,” She whispered, being able to see his harsh face now that the sky had finally lightened up.

“You’re being vague Cameron. I’m going to be late,” He teased in a very serious tone. It was a way to flaunt his dominance. It made her hips wiggled closer against him.

“Your cock,” She murmured to him with parted lips and sly eyes. She could feel him swell inside her. Such a vulgar word coming from such a pretty face would push most men off the edge.

He twisted her body to the side, holding her leg in place again with his bucking hips rocking into her wildly it made her small body spasm from climaxing multiple times in a row. It was made worse when her husband’s thumb found her nub again and rubbed at it while he was getting close to his own orgasm. She weakly placed her hand over his to make him stop as the overwhelming feeling was getting too much for her. He abided by her silent command and pulled his hand away to squeeze at her hip. When Seto’s panting became heavier was a clear sign that he was coming to an end. He lowered his body against her as that jolt of pure ecstasy finally hit him. Letting out a loud groan with the rocking of his hips becoming slower as his warmth filled Cameron and dribbled out when her husband separated himself from her. Cameron’s cries stopped completely once she no longer felt the pressure between her legs. Their drowsy eyes stared at each other, both still drunk off of ecstasy. Seto was now standing again, having no time to lay back down and recharge considering that he was already out late for work.

Being the one with more energy Seto bent down to pull her up into a hug. Cameron caught his lips, holding his head in place as their tongues tangled in a deep kiss. It slowly broke with his wife pulling away first for a breath of air. The cunning CEO pressed his forehead against hers and cradled his small wife in his arms a moment before kissing the top of her head and slipped away to wash up again.

\--

The throws of passion from this morning started the couple off on a good note. Even despite the fact that Cameron’s legs still ached. Using painkillers and muscle cream to numb the soreness. Halfway through the day, the lonesome feeling wavered back through the Kaiba manor. The day before was so enjoyable to have Seto all to herself and Mokuba come home right after work was really comforting to the American woman. The younger Kaiba didn’t even sleep over which was probably why his older was so bold about acting upon his lustful desires so early in the morning. Cameron was left alone again, it was routine by now but she still didn’t like being the only one home. The help was the only company she had during the day but was back to keeping a distance after her outburst during Mokuba fainting and the recent incident with Seto screaming at a maid.

She strangely felt shy around Kaito. It was most likely because of what her husband using the poor boy as an example of hearing her shameful moans. It wasn’t far-fetched as the maid was the one who heard her come undone the previous day. That is what made her knock on the bedroom door in the first place. Normally the petite brunette would stop the butler in the hall just to have a short chat now that her Japanese was getting fluent. Though this time he was the one to wave towards her first only to have a quick wave back feeling too awkward of the unknown to face him.

When it came around noon the lady of the house decided to pull herself away from the study from the grueling task of reading through old business textbooks from Mokuba. Deciding it was the best idea to prepare bentos with more of a European flare it. Storing a colorful arrangement of snack type foods in little lunch boxes along with a tomato salad by itself in a Tupperware container that Cameron brought from home. She had Isono escort her to Kaiba Corp to visit her husband at work. When she arrived there she made it a point to his secretary not to buzz her in. Letting herself through his large office doors after finding out he wasn’t with any clients.

“Surprise!~” She announced, strutting into the spacious office and plopped her handbag down onto the couch.

Seto perked his head up from his computer and raised a brow in skepticism. “What are you doing here?” He asked calmly, keeping his fingertips placed on his keyboard.

“Wow, Seto don't act so happy to see me,” She spewed out sarcastically keeping her eyes lowered as she organized the bentos, slipping them out of her bag and set his bento down on the coffee table first.

“It’s not that,” He swiveled in his chair to face her, eyes focusing on her trying to figure out her true motives for appearing in his office.

“Stop being so cynical. We didn’t get to eat breakfast together. So I wanted to eat lunch with you,” She said, standing up straight once all the containers were lined up on the tabletop.

“I’m not being cynical. Have you forgotten that the last time you came to feed me you created a storm at home?” He stood up and sat next to her on the couch.

“I’m not here to start a fight,” She opened up her bento that consisted of steamed string beans, two small pieces of baguette with brie cheese smoothed over top, mixed berries and a hard-boiled egg cut in half. All foods separated in white paper doilies.

The bento made for Seto was the same but slightly bigger in portion. He opened his bento and picked at the fruit first, using chopsticks.

“Were you comfortable this morning?” He finally spoke up, quietly. Accepting the piece of egg that was fed to him by his wife.

“Are you referring to my achy legs or?” She tilted her head to him, using her own chopsticks to carefully pick up a couple of string beans and pop them in her mouth.

He thought before he spoke. “I meant with the act itself,” He admitted, digging into her bag to grab a bottle of water.

“Oh,” She paused, finishing chewing before answering.

“I was comfortable. Why? Were you?” She blinked, questioning her husband’s logic.

“I was comfortable,” He mimicked with a nod.

“I just want to make sure that upsetting you isn’t the reason why you’re here,” He took a sip of water and twisted the cap back on, placing it down to continue to pick at his bento.

“I’m not here on an ulterior motive, Seto. You’re making me feel bad,” She frowned, using a napkin to wipe her mouth.

“I genuinely wanted to spend time with you that doesn’t involve swapping bodily fluids,” She crossed her leg, popping the last strawberry in her mouth before setting her box down in front of her.

Seto stayed quiet, awkwardly using his fingers to eat his bread. “Well, thank you. I see the French influence in this,” He took a bite out of it, not very much enjoying the texture of the cheese. But kept a straight face anyway not to hurt his wife’s feelings.

“You’re welcome,” She scooted closer to him and rested her head on his bicep.

Seto smirked, setting the other half of his bread slice in his bento and set it down next to her’s. He wrapped an arm around her. “I see, you came here to get a cuddle because I rushed out this morning. Is that is?” He rubbed her lower back.

She closed her eyes and smiled. “I mean, you’re not far off. I won’t keep you too long. I just wanted to come and see you for a little while,” She said, opening her eyes to look up at him.

“Can we talk about something important though?” She linked her arm with his and slipped her hand into his palm.

“You said everything was fine,” He tightened a grip on her hand, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Everything is fine! I just wanted to talk to you about pregnancy,” She lowered her voice at that serious word.

“Cameron, if you came to tell me you’re pregnant you’re delusional. Even if you are. It’s too soon to tell,” He slipped his hand away from hers, rubbing his hand through his hair as he was starting to become unnerved.

“I didn’t say I was. And it is possible to conceive from one time. Are you really that inept to female biology?” She kept her body turned sideways to him, resting her hands on her lap.

“Please, spare trying to belittle me and cut to the chase,” His tongue became sharp, taking another swig of water.

“We’ve obviously become sexually active now with each other,” She continued.

“Yeah and?” He was starting to get irritated by her dragging words.

“And I wanted to know if you wanted to have a baby. Because I’m currently on birth control,” She told him, crossing her leg as it started to bounce from a nervous tic.

Seto looked at her perplexed. “Since when were you on birth control? How come you never told me?” He sounded betrayed by this for some reason.

“Because we weren’t having any time of intercourse. Now we are. So I’m telling you,” Cameron started to become annoyed in her own regards. Tired of Seto always acting like she purposely kept secrets.

“If we weren’t having intercourse then why would you need birth control? There’d be nothing for you to prevent.”

“I’m an experienced woman. Have you forgotten?” She snapped back quick, repeating what he had said to her during the heat of the moment.

“What does that have to do with it? I never told you to go on birth control. I mean--It’s your body. I suppose you can take it if you want to. I’m just curious as to why you are taking it in the first place if we just started having sex,” He glanced over at the time on the clock hanging up on the wall before looking back over at Cameron.

“Because Jason wanted me to go on birth control. That’s why I’m asking you. I don’t know where you stand on the situation,” She crossed her arms and shrugged.

“I’m not opposed to the idea. I just never thought about it. I just took it with a grain of salt that if you did conceive we’d discuss it then. As for the birth control, I’ll leave that up to you. Because it’s your body,” He stroked his fingers through the back of her hair and stood up from the couch.

“This is a big deal for me, Seto. I don’t want our baby to be a toss-up on whether or not I conceive because you like to get your dick wet,” She sneered at him, starting to pack up the empty bentos seeing that he was finished.

Her crude explained caused him to glare at her. “If that’s the case. Give me time to think it over. In the meantime keep taking your birth control. I think it’s for the best right now.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A super short chapter. But I felt bad because I haven't updated for awhile and I sort of missed my readers. After introducing the smut I see that I've gotten more attention. So, hi new people! I hope you enjoy the storyline as well! And not just for the smutty stuff! (I am grateful that you're enjoying it regardless I suppose)
> 
> As or the plot I don't know where the f*ck all of Cam's past started leaking out again. I tried to use Malik and Ryou as a tool to vaguely foreshadow the dysfunctional behavior Cam also had to go through in her past. 
> 
> I wanted to update sooner but life threw me for a loop! (You know how that is!)
> 
> Hope to see you guys soon!~
> 
> Jess <3 xo

The discussion before parting ways put a strain on the couple. They weren’t as warm to one another as this morning. Seto becomes withdrawn with a drop of a hat when something he didn’t like was said. Whether it was still unclear to him about his wife’s true intentions with the birth control or if it was the crude way Cameron spoke that rubbed him the wrong way.

They stayed cordial to one another when Cameron decided to leave. He asked if there was still an ache in her legs. The answer was a simple yes. The CEO suggested that maybe it was best to lay low and stay off her legs to let them rest. Her husband didn’t give off the same reassuring aura as he did this morning. His hug didn’t feel the same most likely because he was still disgruntled by the short brunette’s question.

This really hung heavy over Cameron’s mind. Seto couldn’t have been that dumb on thinking that she honestly was taking birth control prior because of adultery. Especially since he’s very much aware of his wife’s troubled past. The only explanation that seemed honest was that her husband wasn’t ready to father a child. Or didn’t really care about creating life. He only had interest in feeding his own desires. To which Cameron could really give a damn about his needs. At this point in her life, the thought of being a toy for a man to pleasure himself with was beneath her now.

Before heading out the short brunette took a detour just to visit the King of Games himself. She sashayed into the gaming department Yugi was the manager too. A few eyes from the fellow employees looked up at Mrs.Kaiba as she walked by looking for her friend. Most stares were timid while a couple she caught was annoyed. Probably thinking that she had a lot of nerve always barging in on their work. Knowing that she could get away with it because Cameron was the wife of Seto Kaiba. And in many cases they were right. Though, she didn’t act too friendly or cocky towards them. Only wanting to keep the peace.

It wasn’t hard finding Yugi’s cubical since his brightly colored hair stuck out from the rest of the neutral colored hair. She greeted him right away with open arms. Walking towards him first as he swiveled out from his desk and stood up while tan arms were already around him.

“Hi! Is everything okay?” he asked, giving her a light squeeze before releasing her.

She face saddened, feeling ashamed at his question. She doesn’t want to become the needy friend who always needs reassure or help from others.

“Nothing, I can’t just come in for a visit? I’m just here for a minute to say hello,” She glanced behind her, feeling eyes from the back of her head.

“It’s not that. You just looked sad at first. Did you come all the way here just to say hi?” He tilted his head in curiosity.

“No, I just had lunch with Seto and wanted to stop by,” She said in a gentler tone.

He nodded. “Oh, I see,” Yugi stood there awkward moment, biting his bottom lip and suddenly spun around to face his desk.

“Wait! I was going to mail it but since you’re here I’ll give this to you now!” He said, turning back around and handing his American friend a purple envelope.

Cameron blinked, taking it in hand. “What is this?” She asked, glancing up at him as he made a gesture for her to open it up. She nodded and did so.

“The final prototype for my game is going to be published at the end of the month. I’m hosting a party! My girlfriend is going to fly down to celebrate and everything. I wanted you, Kaiba, and Mokuba to come of course,” A sincere smile grew on his face.

“Really! So quickly? That’s great Yugi! Thank you for inviting me I’m flattered!” She smiled back, staring down at the sturdy card.

It had the same color scheme as the Dark Magician of Chaos duel monster card. Cameron only knew this because Yugi wasn’t shy about his love of the game. Which she didn’t mind as she was used to her own husband being greatly engulfed in it as well.

“We’re hoping for it to be on the shelves by Christmas. There may be some bugs still present in the gameplay. But all the hard work is finished. I’ve been working on this design in particular for a long time. I’m really passionate about it. Hopefully, the public will like it too,” He started swaying slightly back and forth.

Cameron found his fidgeting quite cute making her lean to hug him once more. “You’re already liked by the public. I’m sure people will love it!” She grinned, trying to as uplifting as possible for him.

He hugged back lightly as she slipped away. “Thanks. That makes me feel sort of better,” He gave a nervous laugh.

“Try not to worry about it! I’ll text you later! Thanks again for the invitation!” She waved at him before flitting out of his cubicle.

\--

With the glass doors of the Kaiba Corp building swinging behind her, the end of her hair swayed back and forth from the gust of wind as she fixed the strap of her bag over her shoulder. Isono was already outside waiting for Mrs.Kaiba as he opened the door to the limousine. Cameron stopped in front of the back door with a frown and critical eyes.

“Is everything alright Mrs.Kaiba?” Isono asked in surprise, cautious of her attitude knowing very well that most after encounters with her husband but the difficult American woman in a bad mood.

“Can’t you just pick me up in a car next time? Isn’t it inconvenient to bring a giant limo here just to pick me up?” She asked politely.

“Well, I never really considered it. Mr.Kaiba always requested to be picked up in one,” He answered back, keeping a grip on the open door for her to step in the back.

“Yeah, well,” She paused to take a look up at the very top of the building just to see if she was able to get a glimpse of her husband in his office only to be blinded by the glare the sun caused from glass walls of Kaiba Corp.

“I’m not him,” She told her bodyguard matter-a-factly, stepping past him and the limousine and started walking towards downtown.

Isono stepped away from the vehicle in a panic, following Cameron close behind. “Mrs.Kaiba where are you going! If it upsets you that much I can get you a standard car to pick you up?” He asked with a hint of sweetness to his voice.

She slowed her pace and looked over her shoulder. “Isono, please. I just want to take a break and feel like a regular person for a bit. If Seto starts a problem have him call me. I’ll take care of it,” She turned back around and continued walking.

\--

After a few minutes of window shopping the American woman had found herself in some sort of organic food market. It was a cute shop, pretty small and quaint looking. To keep her identity unrevealed she wore large cat-eye sunglasses. She trotted around with a basket over her arm as she looked over the fresh produce piled high on display. A low rumbling of chatter of deep and feminine voices was heard in the background. Cameron ignore it at first, picking up a few crisp apples before perking her head up after hearing a familiar English voice. She lifted up her sunglasses and squinted, observing a small gathering of young women crowding a man. She recognized the colorful plaid button down first. It was Ryou chatting with some attractive looking girls. And Malik standing to the side looking like he was ready to hang himself at any moment. Slouched in his posture and his wearing his own plaid shirt that hung off of his shoulders to show his tank-top. The solid color being dark purple and the stripes black and white. A basket was hanging off of his arm as well, carrying a bottle of water and three plump persimmons. He had his smartphone screen, scrolling through something. Trying to keep himself entertained as the Japanese chatter went on in front of him.

“Am I just destined to find you guys?” Cameron slowly waddled over due to her upper legs still being achy.

Malik peered away from his phone and stared at her completely strange, the same look he gave the day she slapped him across the face. Ryou didn’t take any notice of them at all as he was too engulfed in the conversion with the women he was catching up with.

“Cam?” The Arabic said in an uninterested mumbled, dropping his hand down to his side.

“Yeah?” She paused and pulled her sunglasses off completely, raising her arm up to straighten her bangs back in place.

His lips tugged into a crooked smile. “Trying to pull off a Kat Von D look? Don’t bother you, you’re too hoity-toity to pull off edgy.”

Cameron’s eyes dulled at the comment. “Gee thanks. I’m trying to disguise myself from the public. So I don’t get bothered by my husband’s admirers,” She told him dryly.

“Ah, well, try harder next time,” He said, looking back down at his phone and tapped away at his touchscreen.

Cameron turned forward in a huff to where she was facing Ryou and his fan group, watching intently at the girls flirting with him cutely. It wasn’t hard to understand why the flower boy was so popular among ladies. The white-haired gentleman was handsome in the typical Asian standards of beauty. Very polished and soft looking. Nothing like what Western women liked. As Cameron thought he looked more like a pretty girl at times. Ryou would make an idol material. A gentle face you’d see Charism Complex debut.

She could feel the heated jealousy radiating off Malik. It wasn’t a secret that he had felt his pale crush. And the female attention he was getting must have been eating the blond up inside. The American woman wondered whether or not he’d be more upset if it was a group of boys flirting with Ryou. Regardless after another moment passed Malik finally slipped his phone back into the pocket of his fitted khakis and abruptly swung an arm around the slender male’s shoulders.

“Really hate to break this up. But we have to go. Right Ryou?” Malik said in almost a sneer with a fake smile plastered on his face.

He looked very convincing, Cameron was impressed. If she didn’t know any better she’d think he was being sincere. Until she looked at his eyes close up. They had an underlying critical look to them. Judging the girls secretly.

Ryou laughed nervously, waving off Malik to calm any hurt feelings the women might have felt. He repeated what was said in Japanese as they must have not of known English well enough to understand him. He slowly slipped away from the Egyptian’s hold as he was practically being dragged away. The admirers looked disappointed letting out whiny voices and waved goodbye to the flower boy.

Ryou caught eyes with Cameron, looking a bit surprised. “Oh! Hi Cam. I didn’t see you there,” He greeted her in his gentle tone, glancing around before intertwining fingers with Malik’s after he felt the other man grab hold of his hand.

“Of course you didn’t. You were too involved with those girls,” The blond scoffed in annoyance, jerking his shoulder forward as a lazy attempt to pull his slumped over shirt back on.

“I wanted to take a stroll around before heading home. I’m surprised that you’re not sleeping Ryou. You work nights don’t you?” She smiled coyly, ignoring Malik’s temper.

“It’s my day off and I wanted to spend it with Malik. He requested the same day off so we can be together,” Ryou explains quietly, squeezing hands with him.

“That’s really nice, I won’t keep you too long. But since you’re here I just saw Yugi too and he invited me to his party to celebrate the publishing of his official game,” She slipped the ripped envelope out of her bag and slipped part of the invention out to show them.

Malik made a face. “What a little weasel! We live with him and he didn’t even invite us!”

Ryou gave his partner an unimpressed side-eyed look. “He did Malik. He gave us one with both our names on it. You probably don’t remember because you were drunk.”

The short brunette kept her awkward smile, slipping the card back in her bag. “Well, point being is are you guys going? I’d be a bummer if you weren’t,” She tried to lighten the tension.

“Of course! Yugi is a good friend. We wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Ryou’s voice showed a bit of shock to it.

“Speak for yourself,” Malik whispered under his breath loud enough to be heard.

Ryou frowned deeply, snapping his head to give the Arabic a sharp stern look. “You have to go. It’s for Yugi. Not other people. You don’t have to associate with everybody.”

Cameron politely bowed to them before excusing herself from the situation since it seemed to become rather personal. She already knew of Malik’s sketchy past and how his behavior damaged his reputation. Though, it seemed like Yugi’s friends were just as accepting and forgiving as he was. So it the inferiority the blond felt was most likely from his own psyche and hopefully, he will learn how to get over that hurdle himself with his flower boy holding his hand through it.

\--

Instead of calling Isono to pick her up Cameron decided to take the train home and waddled the rest of the distance. She would rather walk through the pain to get her legs used to the familiar achiness. It isn't rocket science to figure out that turning into a wobbly deer from her husband’s raw strength was going to become a running theme now. Even considering the fact that a lot of Seto’s attitude in bed was ruthless like her ex Jason the coldhearted CEO’s touch was much different. Seto touch was much more loving. And despite being in the heat of the moment it was understood that if that if his wife didn’t like it he listened. It made the American woman a bit uncomfortable with not knowing if she actually really liked being treated like a ragdoll or if she was conditioned to enjoy being treated roughly.

The thought bothered her so much that once she got inside the mansion she headed upstairs into her room and took a cold shower to shake off the shameful feelings that were starting to surface. The thought of Jason only brought back bad memories. And thinking of him only leads to thoughts of Norm. And how his touch was also very gentle. Unlike the scumbag soldier, Norm was so gentle with the small woman that he basically spoiled her. It was so much that at the end Cameron couldn’t tell how much of his actions were sincere and how much of his intentions were just to change her heart and choose him over everybody else. A codependent relationship was what she was escaping from.

It wasn’t fair. Not to her but to Seto that these were the silly things that had to get in the way of their marriage. The pain that she tried so hard to run away from just keeps creeping back behind her. All those bad things happened so long ago but in her mind, it seemed literally liked yesterday. Burning all that garbage meant nothing. It was all still stored in the back of the brunette’s head. Those bright green eyes. That lively grin. Why was this man still haunting her heart? Perhaps she never got over Tall dark and handsome like she did with Jason.

That was it. Unlike Jason who she learned to hate with a passion, she had never brought herself to think of Norm in the same light. Yes, he was abusive in his own way with his manipulation and lying. But he never hurt her like the other did. At some point in time, he was Cameron’s savior. He was the only comfort for her even if he took advantage of her heart. Maybe that made him worse than Jason who only took the control of her body. It didn’t matter, the thought of this man was tearing her apart. And it was ridiculous. If Seto knew he’d be furious. This was something she could never express to either of the Kaibas. It wasn’t something she dared shared with Yugi and his friends. This trauma had to be fought by herself. And with all honesty, it was terrifying to Cameron. What if she was too weak and disappointed her husband further? No, that shouldn’t even with a thought.

The small American woman sat crouched down in the very bottom of the tub with her face lowered to let the water run on her. She stared down at her neatly painted toes. Feeling the warmth of her tears being washed away by the cold flowing water from the shower head. A knock on the door snapped her out of it. Causing her to snap back to her surrounding and sprung up with shaky legs.

“Yes?” She called out wearily.

“Um, sorry to bother you Mrs.Kaiba. It’s just been awhile. I wanted to come to check on you,” The maid spoke shyly, afraid of being scolded.

Cameron took in a deep breath and turned the shower handle to cut the water off. “I’m getting out now. I’m okay thank you,” She answered back weakly, wiping her wet back.

“Okay, please take your time. I set fresh towels outside your door. Thank you Mrs.Kaiba,” She said softly before disappearing.

\--

The embarrassing episode in the shower caused Cameron to message both brothers to see if they were able to attend dinner tonight. With no surprise, Mokuba answered first with an apologize as he had already made plans with Hyori already. She wouldn’t hear from Seto for awhile, he never kept his phone at reach when he was working.

The only alternative she had was to throw herself into the studies that were expected of her from her husband. Deciding to hide away in the study. Strangely feeling melancholy, for the first time in a long while deeply missing America and longing for the taste of the past again.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter I spent all night writing because I couldn't get a wink of sleep! Kaiba fans eating oden or drawing fanart of Kaiba eating oden for his birthday is a real thing and I love it. I feel like Kaiba not really caring for sweets may be an actual thing. I wasn't planning on touching on his sanity but it's true. Seto isn't ripped for vanity reasons. Actually!!--
> 
> Real talk here. Seto doesn't find himself sexy at all. Which says a lot about his character. It's canon that he thinks this way. At least in his American version. (I also see Eric Stuart as a BIG influence on Seto because he's his actor. He knows the version of Seto most of us Western fans came to love) The exact answer that Stuart gave as Seto was "Well if being rich and having cool cars makes me sexy then okay????" 
> 
> Also, for some reason, I connect the Gorillaz's vibe with Mokuba. And I'm not entirely sure why? I can picture him having a crush on Noodle. Maybe that's why! (I'm also corny by using songs to describe the characters. SO SUE ME!)

The drowning feeling of melancholy eventually faded away over time. The next few weeks blended back to its dreary routine. Cameron only getting a little amount of time with Mokuba and Seto. Sometimes visiting her husband at work for lunch. And keeping busy with the charity work. The American had gotten chummy with Hyori lately. Finding a great company in another female’s presence as sometimes she felt that the men in her life didn’t really connect with her on a personal level. She also went to gatherings with Yugi and his friends still when she was invited. It didn’t heal the emptiness that she felt but it was a nice distraction, to say the least.

The intimacy between Cameron and her husband was sparse. Seto had completely absorbed his time back into work, even more so now that there was new virtual reality glasses design were coming out. They were to replace the old helmet design the older Kaiba had made a few years back. And the updates on the project were all Cameron heard about. So much so that her husband’s arguing on the phone one night with his head department of technology caused her to pick up her pillow and leave his bed to retreat back to her bedroom. Her abrupt action hit a nerve with Seto, of course, causing the couple to have a silent feud with each other for a day or two.

Without even realizing Seto’s birthday was fastly approaching. And with no inkling of a reminder from anybody besides Mokuba the prepping for his surprise party was rushed to the last minute. There was nothing fancy to it. The only plan was to bake a cake with Mokuba and wait until Seto came home late at night. Cameron made it a point to apologize to her husband a day before. With the clever CEO catching onto her motives but never addressing them only played along with her with a gentle smile.

It was around 8:17 PM when Mokuba and Hyori met up with Cameron at the Kaiba estate. The younger Kaiba was already informed that his brother was staying after hours to oversee the development of the virtual reality system. With that factor alone could possibly mean that Seto could very well want to stay at Kaiba Corp for the rest of the night. Which was seemingly turning into a good idea considering that Hyori was not part of the mixture now. Seto had always voiced his option on the matter of his birthday. He didn’t want it to make it a big production. Even some of his fans knew that where there was a running gag to eat the older Kaiba’s least favorite meal as a tradition which was a steaming pot of Oden. His wife found Seto’s fans cute in that regard. They knew enough to emulate their idol Seto Kaiba’s sarcastic wit. Both her and Mokuba were purposely checking their social medias to see the birthday posts.

As for Seto’s typical celebration, Mokuba had told his sister-in-law that he’d always surprise his brother with a cake from a bakery. And eat it in the office. Some years, when Mokuba was much younger he said they used to go out to eat if the younger Kaiba insisted. This time around it was the short brunette’s decision not only to invite Hyori but also Yugi and Jounouchi for cake. It was a risky plan but if Cameron was expected to grow out of her comfort zone so was her all mighty husband.

It was a shock to Cameron when Mokuba confessed that he didn’t know exactly what Seto’s favorite confectionery was. He said growing up Seto never really had one. And how whatever candy they received at the orphanage he used to give up to his baby brother. But it was a well-known fact that Seto did not like milk chocolate. As an adult, he didn’t particularly care for sweets. Every time his wife offered him some kind of sugary snack from the care package her brother Tony shipped from American he’d scoff at her by saying that things like that were for children. Much like the CEO’s personality, his taste was bitter. When Seto did indulge in chocolate it was the dark kind. Normally enjoyed with some sort of nuts like almonds or dried fruit and it was mainly for health purposes.

He was very regimented with his meals. Which astounded Cameron when she found out the actual reason of why her husband was so strict with his diet was not for his physique. It was to ride the space elevator. This was an instance where the small American was concerned for her husband’s mental health. And how all the social confidence he lacked was easily gained by the confidence he had in his ideas and projects. It was something that was often pondered by Cameron of how in touch Seto was to reality. And if his brilliance teetered on insanity.

As for the cake, it was agreed a week in advance that the batter would be dark chocolate and frosting an espresso ganache. There was no way that mocha would be refused. The preparing of the cake didn’t take long. Mokuba had already started reading up on the instructions beforehand with Hyori clumsily leading a hand in making it. Cameron’s old rounded stereo was plugged into the wall with the help of an extension cord that converted the American plug into a Japanese one. The music that played was a mix of styles. Mokuba’s _Gorillaz Plastic Beach_ album played along with Cameron’s _No Doubt Tragic Kingdom_ CD. Neither bands appealed to the former Korean Idol’s taste but she swayed along with Mokuba and his sister-in-law at the songs they enjoyed most.

It wasn’t until _Love Rollercoaster_ by _Red Hot Chili Peppers_ came on next is when Mokuba started hopping around the kitchen space and twirling his light-footed girlfriend under his arm. It a song playing off one of those blank CDs you added random albums too. Cameron stole from one of her younger brothers decades ago. The horseplay between the couple made the younger Kaiba’s back bump into the nook table where the short brunette was currently standing on top of to hand a ‘Happy Birthday!’ banner. The sudden motion caused his sister-in-law to wobble a bit, dropping one of the tacks she had secured in her mouth to fall onto the floor and roll under the table.

“I swear to God Mokuba is you make that cake fall in I’ll kick your ass,” She hissed at him, snapping her head back to give him a glare. The American woman had become comfortable enough to talk to him like her own brother. And she wasn’t afraid to speak this way in front her husband either.

A giddy chuckle is the answered she got in response as Mokuba slowed his steps and kept a hand gripped around Hyori’s tiny waist.

“You must be really dedicated to bro since you’re more concerned about the cake deflating then Hyori almost making you fall off the table,” He kept his grin, slipping his hand away from the Korean to pick up the tack that fell on the floor and handed it back to Cameron.

Hyori’s tinted glossed lips curved into a pout as she slapped Mokuba’s muscular chest lightly when he stood back up straight. “Don’t blame me for that! You dance with two left feet!” She crossed her arms in a huff.

Straight across bangs framed her face with her hair being cut short only barely touching the tops of her shoulder. The Charism Complex producer’s hair was dyed cherry red. Cameron could swear the girl had a different hairstyle every day of the week. But she supposed the trendy Korean was only keeping up with the Joneses.

Cameron took the tack from Mokuba, rolling her eyes at the display of affection he was showing the beanpole that was Hyori.

“I hope you don’t act this way in front of Seto. He’ll have a fit,” Cameron scolded, sticking the tack to the loose side of the banner before putting her hand out to the younger Kaiba for support.

Without hesitation, he pulled away from his girlfriend’s side and took a hold of the small woman’s hand to help her step down onto one of the chairs until her feet touched the floor.

“Cam, do you think I want me and Hyori to be on Seto’s blacklist forever?” His cheerful expression soon faded, releasing his hand from Cameron once she was stable.

“Don’t be ridiculous you’d never end up on Seto’s bad side. It’d only be Hyori that would suffer from his wrath,” Cameron frowned, glancing over at the petite Korean girl as she walked past the two to opened the oven, checking on the cake.

Hyori was holding her arms behind her back with the heel of her foot pointed towards the kitchen title. Her shy stance was much like a young girl’s posture. A clear reminder of the more modest status women had in Asia.

“Your tone is scary like your husband’s Cam. For a moment I could swear it was him,” She joked nervously.

Cameron looked over her shoulder with a smirk, using an oven mitt that looked like a goldfish to slip the cake pan out.

“I’d hope not. His voice is much deeper than mine,” She laughed softly to lighten the mood again.

The comment made Hyori smile, glancing over at Mokuba when the doorbell rang who was wiping the nook table clean with a disinfectant spray after his sister-in-law was standing on it.

“Would you like me to answer the door?” She asked politely, turning her head back to Cameron who was gently setting the cake onto a wire rack to cool down.

“If you wouldn’t mind. Please,” Cameron answered, too preoccupied with the task.

She nodded, catching eye-contact with Mokuba once more and smiled while he continued to set the table as Hyori walked out of the kitchen and down the long hallway. It was a trek considering how large the first floor was. The doorbell was ringing multiple times before getting a chance to open it. She was greeted by Yugi’s short stature, holding a neatly wrapped box in his hands and an awkward smile. The tall goofy blond was towering over him, still ringing the bell and swiftly pulled her finger away once he saw the look on Hyori’s face.

“Yooooo!~ What’s up Mok’s girl?” Jounouchi flashed her a toothy grin before walking past Yugi and stepped into the mudroom.

“Aw, come on Joey. That was kind of rude,” Yugi frowned, eyebrows straightening in frustration.

“What!” He piped up while untying his shoes and swung his body to face the skinny woman.

“You Mokuba’s girlfriend right?” He asked in seriousness.

Hyori nodded. “I am,” She answered nonchalantly.

Jounouchi tossed his sneakers next to the neatly placed shoes as he twisted back to face his friend with a crooked frown, raising a hand up in the air as a gesture of confusion to the comment.

“What I meant was, she must have a name. Your name is Hyori if I remember correctly?” He smiled when he looked over at her.

“Yep. I’m Hyori, it’s nice to see you again Yugi,” She smiled back and quickly looked up in surprise when Jounouchi stepped in front of her.

“Sup Hyori! I’m Jou! Nice to meet ya!” He grinned, sticking his hand out for a shake. She gladly accepted. Once Yugi’s shoes were off she leads the two men into the kitchen where Mokuba was finishing up the final touches on the cake, trying to spread the ganache evenly. Cameron was scrolling through messages on her phone and stood up from the island bar as the group walked in.

“Hello!~” She set her phone down and greeted her friends both with a hug. Before pulling completely away from Jounouchi she looked him straight in the eyes.

“Make sure you act accordingly tonight. It’s Seto’s birthday. Please do not ruin it,” She gripped onto his arm tightly and spoke sternly to him in Japanese, learning enough now to show that she meant business.

The statement made everybody in the room turn and look at Cameron in surprise. Not just for her boldness but also her sudden change in different language. Jounouchi eyes dulled when he yanked his arm out of her grasp.

“Yeah, yeah. You can cool it, Miss. Primadonna,” He scoffed back in his native tongue, trudging over to the kitchen nook and tossed an envelope onto the table.

The short woman’s body turned as Jounouchi walked past, narrowing her eyes at him. Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder for reassurance.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye,” He told her gently before following after the blond.

Hyori was standing by the kitchen counter next to Mokuba, holding her smartphone in her hands as the younger Kaiba leaned in close to her to watch whatever was displayed on the screen. His arm was stretched behind her, holding loosely to the corner of the countertop. His knuckles brushed against her slender back when she scooted closer for him to get a better view with her.

“Don’t mind Cam. She gets uppity like bro when she’s nervous. I think he rubbed off on her since they’ve been married,” He added onto the conversion slowly, keeping interest in what Hyori had to show him.

“Oh, thanks for throwing me under the bus there Mokuba!” Cameron frowned, wandering towards the nook with the others.

“I second that. Cam was so cute and sweet when we first met. Now she’s grumpy,” Hyori gave a little mischievous smile, glancing up at the short brunette.

Cameron squinted at her, crossing her arms. “You know what? I don’t need this from you people!” She shouted, playing a role of being outraged.

“I don’t blame ya though. Bein’ married to that uptight suit would drive anybody off the edge, man!” The blond blattered out, playing around on his own phone. Checking his Duel Link stats.

Cameron stared harshly at Jounouchi. “I wasn’t joking about keeping your mouth shut. It’s the poor man’s birthday. Can’t you mellow out for the night?”

“I don’t think he does it in a malicious way. But yeah Joey, try not to tease too much,” Yugi smiled coyly, taking the glass of water he was offered by Mokuba as he sipped his own as he stretched an arm out to Cameron having her inch towards him and hug.

The younger Kaiba wrapped his arm around her loosely and pulled his lips away the edge of the glass to place a kiss on top of her head.

“Relax, everything is going to be okay,” He released his grip offering Hyori a seat by pulling out one of the bar stools for her.

Her brother-in-law's words only eased her concerned a bit. Knowing very well that Mokuba would defuse any sharp fire that may happen. Yugi took notice of his younger friend’s gesture and scooted into the booth of the nook.

“Cam, maybe you should sit down too. It may help you to relax,” Yugi suggested calmly.

It only made her look over The King of Games. “I’m okay thanks,” She waved off his offer with her hand.

She stood there stiff, feeling a sway of emotion when she felt Mokuba’s eyes staring from behind her at the back of her head. Letting out a sigh she quietly plopped down next to Yugi, now across from Jounouchi.

“How old is moneybags gonna be anyways?” The crude blond shot his head up with a wince when he felt Cameron kick him in the shin.

“Ouch! Hey! What was that for!” He growled at her, hunching over to touch his leg under the table.

“Spare the nicknames for tonight,” She hissed back at him, having Yugi gently place his hand back on her shoulder to make her straighten her back out so she didn’t have a chance to smack him across the table.

“Kaiba was an upperclassman. He graduated a year before us. So that’d make him--” Yugi was cut short as the younger Kaiba chimed in.

“He’s 26,” Mokuba answered for him, arm back around Hyori as the Korean girl had her eyes closed resting lightly beside him.

“Wow,” Jounouchi grumbled out.

“He’s an old bastard isn’t he?” He finally looked up from his phone, smirking at the angered expression the American woman had from across the table had.

Before Cameron could slap him Jounouchi shot up from the nook and took off towards the side hallway, back paddling just to grab a piece of fruit out from the bowl that was placed on the island where the couple was still seated at. This was a mistake as it gave Cameron enough time to pounce onto his back only having Yugi’s weak attempt at prying her off to fail. Her sudden force caused the blond to thankfully face plant into the soft rug part of the hallway he was trying to escape towards. The banana he had nabbed was now a miserable sticky mess under him.

Mokuba stayed calm letting his sister-in-law have her moment seeing it wasn’t harmful enough. “Cam, why don’t you take your own advice and mellow out?” He chuckled.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While listening to my Rupaul soundtrack. (Yeah, I'm that girl. AND WHAT?) It occurs to me that Hyori and Anzu would probably know each other and be friends. Because they both do dance. Can't you picture Anzu being a backup dancer for idols? I can. 
> 
> This chapter is sort of a mess. But I also sort of had fun with it too. I tried to keep the pacing intact.

During the short period in the kitchen, Mokuba had received a text from his brother after messaging Seto a few minutes before. He was now heading out from work and will be arriving home shortly. The younger Kaiba took the initiative to head back to the mudroom with Hyori just to pick up the guests shoes from the mat so his brother wasn’t tipped off to the surprise before walking into the kitchen.

Yugi stayed put at the kitchen nook while the couple traipsed back to the front of the mansion. Serving as some sort of babysitter for Cameron, still mounted on top of Jounouchi’s pathetic lump of a body that was still slumped on the tile floor face first.

“Come on say it!” She shouted out, sitting on the blond’s lower back with a tight uncomfortable grip on his bare foot having his sock discarded beside them.

“Like hell, I will!” Jounouchi squawked out, trying to twist his body back over only having the lightweight woman push her body more downwards onto him. To an extent, the rowdy third rate duelist was playing along with the lady of the house. Using kid gloves on her from having enough experience with his own younger sister.

Sadly for him, he wasn’t aware of the pure determination Cameron had due to the torturous roughhousing she endured as a child from being of the smaller siblings and being a victim of to both her older brothers but also younger brothers bullying. She twisted his big toe harshly making Jounouchi squeal like a pig.

“Aw shit! Uncle! Uncle!” He finally used his full strength to bump the small woman off him and rolled onto his back and shot up from the floor.

“You fight dirty!” He hollered out, raising his leg up to rub his cramped toe.

Cameron laughed as she slowly stood up from the floor as well. “If you can’t take the heat. Get out of the kitchen!” She said, shuffling forward to the blond in a fencing motion.

It made Jounouchi hop backward and swiftly grab hold of her and shook her playfully, tossing her forward towards Yugi who’s chin was rested in his palm and was on watching over the two goofballs.

The American woman caught herself before falling into Yugi completely. When she turned to look over at him, the gentle rebel’s face still held a pleasant expression but his eyes cast an unknown type of judgment.

“Wow Yugi, who died?” Cameron squeaked out with a giggle, reaching over to pat the tops of his shoulders.

He smiled coyly, resting his back into the wooden bench of the nook. “Nothing, I guess I caught your nervousness. Mokuba and Hyori have been gone for a long time,” He said, looking over at Jounouchi who was raiding the double door fridge.

“Yeah?” She tilted her head and took a glimpse up at the clock hanging on the wall.

“I’m sure they’re fine! Prolly french kissin’ somewhere!” Jounouchi added into the conversion, pattering back towards them with a sock still missing on one of his feet while stuffing pieces of rolled deli meat into his mouth.

With that being said Hyori’s skinny legs ran their way back into the kitchen, cradling Jounouchi and Yugi’s shoes in her arms along with her heels.

“Seto is here! And Mokuba has been stalling him in the driveway for a few minutes now!” She announced to the group as she dropped the shoes by the side of the doorway and rushed closer to the trio so she was further away from the hallway.

“Hyori! You forgot to turn off the light!” Cameron smacked her on the head very lightly just to tease, scurrying over to flick the light switch off herself.

Hyori pouted, scooting into the nook to hide next to Yugi. “Sorry! I’m trying to be inconspicuous!”

The three huddled in the corner of the nook with Hyori and Jounouchi squishing Yugi in the middle, the blond practically almost in his lap. Cameron kept her stance by the wall near the doorway, getting ready to flick the light back on when the Kaiba brother’s casual voices became closer. When it was apparent that their bodies were close enough in the threshold the small brunette turned on the lights.

The loud words of “Happy birthday!~” Was shouted in unison, including Mokuba who was standing next to his brother in the threshold still, wrapping an arm around his shoulder for a hug.

Seto’s eyes widened in surprise, slowly accepting his younger brother’s affection as he hugged back as his eyes glued to the situation at hand. His stare quickly dulled with a scowl forming on his face.

“What is this?” He sneered out quietly, eyes dashing to Cameron critically as she came forth to wrap his arms around him.

“Me and Cam wanted you to celebrate your birthday with friends this year. Instead of in the office,” Mokuba told him calmly, keeping a positive tone to his voice as he squeezed Seto’s shoulder in reassurance.

Seto nudged Mokuba’s hand away and glared down at his wife, cooly avoiding her attempt to hug him.

“Let’s just get this over with,” He mumbled under his breath, flashing his sharp stare towards Jounouchi in annoyance as he walked past and purposely sat at the kitchen island with crossed arms to be alone.

This was a situation he was dreading to sit through. It was no use to show disgust in this instance as it would make him look ungrateful to guests. The best motive was to stay silent and get through this by staying for a few minutes before excusing himself from the gathering. There were much more important things to engage in other than amuse his silly wife’s customs.

“How was your day Kaiba?” Yugi asked with a sheepish smile, trying to cut the tension.

“Fine,” He answered sourly, taking a judgmental look at Hyori only for a split second as she assisted Cameron by setting a cup and saucer in front of everybody to serve coffee. Mokuba carried the cake carefully from the counter and set in front of his brother.

“Seto, don’t you want to sit at the table with everybody else?” Cameron asked gently, turning to the side a bit to look over his sulking posture.

“There’s barely any room,” He answered gruffly.

Cameron paused taking notice of the space at the nook where there were only his duelist friends sitting. His poor ploy to isolate himself annoyed her to no end as there was plenty of room for him to fit. She slowly turned her head back, looking as unimpressed at him as he was of her.

“You’re a piece of work. You know that?” She scoffed at him.

“Forget that piece of work bullshit! How about a piece of cake instead?” The blond smashed his fist on the table playfully, making the cup in front of him rattle as Hyori poured hot water into it for tea.

“It’s dark chocolate, your favorite. Me, Hyori and Cam made it today,” Mokuba told him, sitting on a stool next to the older Kaiba.

Seto stayed silent, feeling a slight tinge of appreciation to the effort put into it. Even if he didn’t want them to bother with it.

“Thank you,” He answered in a whisper, ripping open the tea bag placed in front of him by Hyori.

“We forgot to get candles but I’m sure you don’t mind,” Hyori added, smiling at Seto and sat down next to Mokuba at the end of the island.

Seto didn’t respond to the Korean girl, taking more interest in his wife who handed him a butcher knife without a word and took a seat with the best friends at the nook.

“Where are you going?” He asked dryly.

Cameron crossed her leg under the table, taking a sip of tea. “I’m sitting with our friends,” She said bitterly.

He stared at her harshly, calculating her plan. “It’s my birthday. I want you to sit next to me,” He told her.

“There’s not enough room,” She hit him with the nonsensical comeback he used on her.

“If neither of ya is gonna cut the cake I will!” Jounouchi shouted, standing up from the table.

Yugi was staying patient, messaging Anzu through text message on his phone. He took a picture of the cake still set on the counter from afar. Getting part of Mokuba’s folded arms in the background of the photo.

“Mokuba will cut it,” Seto announced, handing the knife off to his younger brother and picked up his cup as he walked over to the nook and sat down next to his wife.

Cameron brushed her long hair to the back of the shoulder, turning a bit away from her husband.

\--

Mokuba took the lead in cutting the cake into slices with the Hyori playing the role of hostess as she took the small plates with the slices on them and placed them in front of everybody. Setting just one piece in front of the married couple considering that they always shared sweets. Along with Yugi and Jounouchi getting their own. After everybody settled Mokuba and Hyori sat down with the rest of the group.

At first, the table stayed uncomfortably quiet. Yugi stayed on his phone, nibbling his cake with his fork with a faint smile on his face. The boy was in love, you could just tell. Despite sharing a plate Cameron and Seto were still clearly disgruntled with each other. The younger Kaiba kept the peace by staying mute as well, only making small talk with Hyori with the gentle rebel adding into the conversion once or twice.

Jounouchi was the only fidgety one. Sick of the passive-aggressive behavior from snob that was Seto Kaiba and the lousy cake that he had consumed more than half of even after complaining about how nasty it was.

“So, heard you’re basically 30 now. How’s it feel to be an old man, Kaiba?” The blond asked, licking the remaining ganache off his fork before dropping it onto his plate with a clang.

Seto lifted his head, cold blue eyes focusing on the blond’s oddball face. He wiped his mouth neatly with a napkin before responding.

“Gee, I don’t know Wheeler. Why don’t you tell me how it feels to still be a third-rate duelist with a fourth-grade deck?” He raised a brow, a smirk curving his lips.

“That don’t matter when I got my views on my gaming channel are rackin’ up!” He blurted out, taking out his phone to pull up the screen to show the cocky CEO.

A girlish squeal was heard from across the table, Hyori was leaned in close to Yugi’s side waving at the screen that had Anzu on the other side of the webcam looking back at them. The two girls were chatting in Japanese gleefully. Mokuba lounged against the wooden booth of the nook, sticking up two fingers behind his girlfriend’s head to give her bunny-ears.

When Yugi’s phone was snatched out of his hand from the Korean girl he turned his attention to Cameron. “Did you know Hyori and Anzu knew each other before?” He asked kindly.

The short brunette shook her head. “No, I didn’t,” She answered, leaning back for Jounouchi to show off his stats to her husband who clearly wasn’t paying much attention.

“They did dance together when Hyori was touring in America when she was still apart of B. Beauty,” Mokuba added in, leaning away from the camera so he wasn’t in the shot while Hyori chatted with Yugi’s love.

Hyori tapped the button to have the lens of the camera switch to the back view. “Say hello to Anzu!” She cooed out. A muffled ‘What’s up!’ was heard from the speaker of the phone. Causing Jounouchi to shuffle his way over to the opposite side of the table where the others were seated.

Cameron gave an awkward wave with a smile, not being too expressive since she didn’t know Anzu at all. Seto blatantly looked away from the direction of the camera. Purposely placing a hand over his wife’s under the table. It caused her to look over at him skeptically.

“Yo! Is that my burger world girl over there!” He squawked out, squeezing himself at the very end of the booth, slouching half onto Yugi laid his arm over the back of his shoulders. It made the Korean girl switch the camera back to face front lens again so they could all fit in the screen.

Yugi rolled his eyes with a grin, resting his head on his friend. “Isn’t that joke too old to use now?”

“Nah! How’s waitressing doing for ya Anzu?” The blond continued to tease.

The monotonous banter went back and forth for a few minutes longer with the friends reconnecting. Mokuba had become just as bored as the rest of his family who was sitting around the table. Cameron had held Seto’s hand back at this time.

Seto abruptly slipped his hand away and stood up, finally loosening his tie. His wife looked up at him with a frown.

“Where are you going?” She asked softly.

“I have to finish up some looking over some files,” He answered, beginning to turn away.

“Bro, wait. You have gifts to open up,” Mokuba said, gesturing to a couple of things that accumulated on the table top.

“I tell you, people, every year that I don’t want gifts. They’re pointless,” He said with irritation, keeping his face turned away from them as he started to walk away.

Halfway to the doorway Seto suddenly stopped, stiffening his joints as he felt something hit against his back. It was the card that Jounouchi had gotten him. The blond had jumped up from the table and made an effort to get the sulking birthday boy’s attention.

“Oh, here we go,” Mokuba groaned, aspirated. Wrapping an arm around Hyori’s waist who looked on in concern.

Yugi shrugged, phone back in his hand hung up from Anzu now. “Were you really expecting anything less from these two?” he said lowly, grabbing onto his friend’s arm trying to make the blond sit back down.

When the envelope hit the floor is when Cameron shot Jounouchi a harsh stare. “I told you not to start anything!” She yelled at him, stepping out from her seat to pick up the card.

She was stopped by Seto, snatching it up first. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want me to read your little card?” He asked, in a condescending voice.

“Nah, I’m sick of your attitude man! We’re tryin’ to celebrate your birthday and your actin’ like a class A jerk!” He barked at him, tugging his arm out of Yugi’s grip.

“You can’t even show appreciation to your own wife and brother! All they wanna do is spend like with you! Now get off your pedestal and open your f*ckin’ gift!” He picked up the small neatly wrapped box Yugi had brought and flung it at the stone-faced CEO.

The older Kaiba caught it with ease, holding the card and box with one hand as he out-stretched his free arm to place a palm to the middle of his wife’s back to guide her back to the table with him.

“I want to spend time with my family. Had it ever occurred to you that maybe I didn’t want to spend it with the rest of you people?” He said, harshly.

Referring to mainly Hyori and Jounouchi who he had the least love loss for. Yugi was the only one he could tolerate since he was sound of mind and had confided to the eccentric gamer many times. Even though that’s how Seto actually felt Yugi did not know that. Out of the three guests, he was the one whose heart ached the most to the cruel words.

“I’m sorry you feel that way Kaiba. If I knew that I wouldn’t have taken the offer to show up,” He said weakly, clearly hurt.

Cameron’s eyes softened. “Don’t pay any mind to him Yugi. You should know that by now,” She waved off her husband who was back to sharing a bench with her.

Mokuba cracked a grin only to ease the situation, stretching over Hyori to give his friend a loving pat on the back. “He doesn’t mean what he says sometimes,” He whispered.

Seto let the comments fly over his head as he tossed the card across the table after opening it. The inside was signed by both Yugi and Jounouchi. The sloppier handwriting most likely the blond’s with the phrase _‘Happy birthday you rat bastard!’_ being scribbled in red pen. The idiot didn’t even know the proper etiquette of writing. How annoying.

“I wasn’t referring to you anyway Yugi. Relax,” Seto finally spoke, ripping the childish Duel Monster themed birthday wrapping paper neatly and pulled it off to reveal a reused box that once stored large starter packs of cards. Most likely recycled from his grandpa’s shop. After ripping the tape that held the box shut he reached his hand in and fished out a chunky chain necklace that was discolored from age. The cheaply painted silver was now worn having the dingy copper shade be the primary color.

Hyori blinked, looking over the gift. “Yikes, I wouldn’t wear that if I were you, Seto. You’ll end up getting a big green ring around your neck,” She said, quickly pressing her lips together seeing the look of worry on Mokuba’s face.

Seto let the chintzy chain dangle in his hand as he kept his arm raised, staring at it intensely. Silence settled among them, even with Jounouchi surprisingly as he kept a keen eye on his former rival.

“I was thinking. Because I never actually got to see you during your birthday before. That’d I’d finally give this to you. A little piece of him. You know?” Yugi hesitated at some parts of his sentence as he spoke. Being a bit frightened at the vacant reaction he was getting.

With no warning, the older Kaiba sharply turned to his wife in disgust. “This was your doing wasn’t it!” He growled at her, shaking the chain close to her face.

Cameron shot him a glare. “What are you even talking about? I don’t know what that is!” She reached up and slapped his hand away from her making him pull back.

“I don’t believe you! You’re always meddling in my old affairs Cameron! I know it was your doing for this whole thing! Stop trying to play savior with me, I don’t need your help!” He threw the chain onto the floor and stormed out of the kitchen.

This really hit a nerve with Jounouchi as he quickly followed behind his trail. “Yo! Where do you think you’re goin’! Get back here and discuss your problems like a man!”

Mokuba hopped up, grabbing onto the blond from behind and jerked him around so he was forced to turn around.

“Let Seto be. Don’t chase him,” He told him calmly, releasing his grip as Jounouchi nudged him away.

“Look at chu, huh! I remember when you were a four-foot nothin’! Now you’re the one playin’ tough guy me!” The blond spoke jovially, looking back to see that Seto’s tall frame was out of sight now.

“It’s just something you shouldn’t fight with him about Joey. It’s not right,” Mokuba added, stepping back towards the group.

Cameron stayed seated, staring up at Mokuba in complete surprise. “What the hell just happened?” She glanced away and stared at Hyori who has the same stupefied look as her.

“It belonged to Atem,” Yugi stated as he picked up the discarded chain from the floor.

“What did? That old rusty chain?” Cameron crossed her arms when Jounouchi plopped beside her on the bench.

“This is the chain that held the millennium puzzle. I thought Kaiba would like it as a keepsake since it’s the closest thing to the actual thing,” Yugi rubbed the back of his head with a sigh, slouching in his posture.

“Well, evidently not,” Mokuba snarked out, sticking his hands into his pants pockets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rat bastard insult actually came from my dad. I've mentioned it before in the comment section. But when I write Joey's lines I use a lot of my dad's slang. Truth be told, my dad was a thug in his younger years. Wayne Grayson isn't the only inspiration I get for the rowdy blond.
> 
> Also, I used Good Evening by Shinee (Let's face it I'll be obsessed with The Story of Light album for the next decade) as inspiration for this and for the upcoming in the chapters. I'm not trying to be insensitive towards Shinee because I know their whole album is dedicated to Jonghyun which is beautiful and makes me love the group even more. BUT. Viewing it just as a song and by the lyrics. I can connect it to Seto's grieving for Atem.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap. Such a different tone from the last chapter. This is what I do on my day off. Continue writing while I still have inspiration. One of the songs I murdered while writing this was mainly Salt by Bad Suns
> 
> "I know what you're implying  
> I'm trying to get my feet off the ground  
> I know, I know, I'm trying, I'm trying  
> These memories are nothing to me just salt!  
> Stuck inside of the wrong frame,  
> I don't feel attached to this name  
> How do I grasp reality  
> When I don't have an identity!  
> Who, who can I look to 'cause I'm not like you, you  
> And I don't believe in the truth, truth  
> 'Cause all of my life's built on lies, uh!"

A bit more talking was had before Hyori was the one to suggest that maybe the long night come to an end. Yugi agreed to that statement as Jounouchi was still too infuriated to care about the conversion, keeping himself outside on the front porch for a long smoke break. Cameron spent the time tidying up the kitchen table while Mokuba disappeared upstairs to take a glance around for his missing brother. He ended up empty handed when realizing that Seto was not in his office nor his bedroom. Seeing that the Duel Monster locket was missing from his headboard was a clear indication that the older Kaiba had headed off to the basement of the mansion. Where his laboratory was located. He had kept Mokuba’s childhood photo as the key to access entrance. It was a space Seto used only sometimes. Preferring over the years to do his research and designing at the laboratories at Kaiba Corp instead since they were annually updated.

But knowing his older brother too well Mokuba understood the reasoning for Seto’s sudden escape to the basement. It was where his reality simulator was. A place where he spent countless time dueling a virtual version of Atem. Giving the tormented CEO a false sense of security. He hadn’t used the device in years. Though, considering the circumstances it was no surprise to why the older Kaiba ran back to familiar comforts.

By the time Mokuba made it back downstairs, Hyori had already left with the two best friends. Not wanting to waste any time getting home as she was expected in Korean by the next day to reunite with Shining Knight and Gabe. Cameron stayed in the kitchen, arms crossed and standing in front of the sink as she stared out at full moon framed by the dark night sky through the window.

“Seto locked himself in his lab for the night I guess,” Mokuba said, strolling into the kitchen with hands tucked into his front pockets.

His voice only made the short brunette turn slightly. “His lab? He never goes in there. He constantly complains how he needs to recircuit half of the equipment down there,” Her lips curved into a frown as she watched Mokuba sit on the edge of island stool.

“He’s visiting Atem,” he answered bluntly.

Cameron raised a brow, stare hardening by confusion. Not fully understanding how Seto could possibly visit a dead person in his laboratory. Getting struck with terror at the thought of her husband housing something other worldly she opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by Mokuba.

“He has this virtual reality system he uses to duel a hologram of Atem. He also has one created of himself. He has all of the gaming strategies Atem and Yugi ever used in their duels programmed into the simulator,” He explained, crossing his leg and rested his arm over his knee.

“Oh,” Cameron blurted out still looking perplexed.

“You thought bro was doing some weird Re-Animator thing weren’t you?” Mokuba leaned back a bit as an attempt to relax, giving his sister-in-law a crook smirk.

“Well--I mean. Would it really be that far-fetched if he did? Seto is full of surprises!” She confessed, ending up by Mokuba’s side with her hands rested in her lap.

It only got a snarky half-hearted chuckle out of the younger Kaiba, closing his eyes as he allowed his mind to take a momentary rest. Cameron let silence settle in the room, letting what just happened replay in her head.

“You know I didn’t coax Yugi to give Seto that thing as a gift,” She spoke in almost a whisper, eyes wandering towards the floor.

Mokuba opened an eye, subconsciously shaking his foot lightly. “I know you didn’t. Do you even know what the chain goes to?” He asked.

Cameron shook her head. “No, wasn't it something Atem liked to wear?” She asked.

“It was the chain Yugi wore that held the millennium puzzle that housed Atem’s spirit,” Mokuba tried to explain without sounding too far out.

“When Yugi first told Seto that Atem was gone he didn’t believe him so bro took a lot of time looking for the millennium puzzle just to put it back together again so he could force Atem back to the living world. When the puzzle was back into one piece nothing happened and Seto became inconsolable. Spending a lot of time by himself and risking his life trying to get Atem back any way he could,” Mokuba’s voice became softer as he spoke, visibly becoming distraught by the explanation as he recalled the event.

Cameron just simply nodded occasionally not wanting to interrupt. Once there was another long pause she finally spoke up again.

“This sounds like something from Beetlejuice,” She gave an unnerved laugh.

That crook smirk appeared back on the younger Kaiba’s face. “Yeah, it does.”

“It doesn’t shock me that Seto has a hard time grieving when he has so much trouble expressing his emotions,” The American woman kept her eyes lowered, looking over the coarse texture of her bunny slipper from being worn.

Mokuba nodded, sagging his broad shoulders. “It’s difficult for him to be soft.”

“I know,” She answered back simply with a shrug.

“Can you blame him?--”

“No, I don’t,” Cameron perked her head up to look over at her brother-in-law.

“I know Seto programmed himself to be that way. When you’re hurt all of your life and lack trust in others it’s very easy to become thick-skinned. It’s an armor that protects you from harm. I know I but heads with him constantly but that is one of the things I can appreciate about your brother,” She said, hopping off of the stool.

“And I think he knows that. It’s the reason why he decided to marry you. I think Seto knows deep down that you get him,” Mokuba weakly smiled, standing up as well.

\--

Without voicing her plan Cameron took it upon herself to head down towards the basement. It was Mokuba’s own common sense to catch on quickly as he followed after her trial. He shuffled in front of the small brunette causing her to slow her pace.

“What?” She suddenly stopped once she made it to the elevator.

“You’re not gonna be able to get in. You don’t know the password,” He told her, stepping in after her when she walked into the elevator.

“Then show me,” She told him nonchalantly as she pushed the button to the very bottom floor of the Kaiba manor.

Mokuba frowned, expression dropping. “I can’t. Seto said only to interrupt if it’s an emergency,” He became more nervous looking as Cameron’s face darkened.

“Oh come on Mokuba! I know your loyalty is strong but this is sort of important to me. I’m apart of this family now remember? I think I’m allowed to interpret if I want,” She crossed her arms in a huff. Secretly feeling a sense of satisfaction when the younger Kaiba abruptly smashed the button to have the elevator stop on the floor that led to their bedrooms.

“Let me get my key then,” He told her and stepped out once the sliding doors opened. Cameron followed beside him silently as Mokuba headed to the East wing and opened his bedroom door. His sister-in-law decided to stay outside the hallway figuring that his task would take less than a minute. The younger Kaiba pulled open the top drawer to his dresser, pulling out the matching locket that Seto had. The thin silver chain was wrapped around the metal Duel Monster card so it didn’t tangle. Unlike the chain that held Yugi’s puzzle, Cameron could have made a lucky bet that this necklace wouldn’t tarnish.

He tucked the locket into his pocket as he walked into his room and closed the door. When his eyes met with Cameron’s his brows flustered together.

“What’s up?” He asked cautiously.

“That’s the key?” She wiggled a finger in his pocket, pulling it open to take a peek back at the locket.

“Yeah,” He slipped his hand past the small brunette’s making her hand slip out of the way. He unwrapped the chain and opened up the locket to show an aged photo of a boy version of Seto weakly smiling holding chess piece in his little hand. It was ripped in the corner possibly being the other half of the older Kaiba’s photo he kept of Mokuba. The image overwhelmed Cameron making her smile brightly.

“Look at how cute that face is,” She stepped back into the elevator with Mokuba pushing the basement button again.

“It’s the last photo that has Seto genuinely smiling,” He said, taking another look at the picture before closing up the locket.

\--

It took a long while for the lift to land on the bottom floor. Mokuba had made a joke about how the laboratory reminded him a lot of the Bat Cave as a kid. And when they finally stepped out she could see why. The layout was something you’d see in a spy movie. Looking very metallic and overly secure with all types of gadgets protecting the outside area. Stepping closer to the front doorway that resembled much of a bank vault door but more modern with a digital design to it. The younger Kaiba punched in a few buttons on a key pad when a cyber sounding woman greeted him. The password was accepted Mokuba slipped his locket into the slot cut out in the door and twisted it open having the giant locks loosen up one by one as the heavy thick doors slid open. It caused Cameron to step back in awe. Allowing Mokuba to walk in first leaving the weary American woman trail behind.

Seto was nowhere to seen but his voice was heard booming throughout the giant open space that was surrounded by all different types of large computer screens that took up a big chunk of the walls to a mess of wires large and small. It was no joke, it really was similar to the Bat Cave regarding that there were all kinds of strange looking technology that she couldn’t even fathom what it could use for. Some being unfinished projects of the older Kaiba. Lost and forgotten seeing that he doesn’t visit this workshop much anymore. The setup was a lot of the laboratories at Kaiba Corp. But less upgraded.

As Cameron continued to follow behind Mokuba the CEO’s voice echoing the surrounding was made clearer. There was a room behind a large glass window that Seto stood behind. It was a gaming platform. Identically from the ones used at Kaiba Corp. Cameron recognized this type of performance from her husband. She had seen him duel before. But watching him like this was a bit surreal. Especially knowing the context of the situation was troubling to her. He was standing across from a hologram of what looked like Yugi. Same clothing and structure as the eccentric gamer she knew as her friend. But the only thing that was differences about this unfamiliar man was his hair was more wild looking and eyes were fierce much like her husband’s. They weren’t the same gentle ones that belonged to The King of Games.

“Is that suppose to be Atem?” Cameron asked hesitantly, keeping her eyes on the hologram playing a magic card against her husband’s Saggi the Dark Clown through the large pane of glass.

Mokuba nodded. “Yeah, the duel won’t last long. Atem normally wins,” He told the short brunette, watching his brother yell some sly banter to the synthetic Pharaoh.

The more the seen unravel the more Cameron’s skin crawled from it. Seto was interacting with a computer-generated version of his dead friend. It was honestly pitiful to watch. A man as Seto Kaiba comes to such a disheartening action of trying to bring somebody’s spirit back from the grave. And being so mentally involved in the fake scenario that the normally alert CEO didn’t even take notice of the two viewing him from behind the glass.

Her gold eyes scanned the wall that was covered in an array of buttons caught the small lever that had ‘Abort’ written under it in big bold letters. Without another thought, Cameron grabbed onto the lever and yanked it down before Mokuba was able to catch her. With a blink of an eye, the lights behind the glass flickered as the hologram image of Atem along with the monsters on the playing field started to fade in color. It all soon disappeared as fast as it started. The body of Seto’s friend vanishing in front of his eyes was the only thing that made Seto’s mind snap back into reality.

“What the hell are you two doing down here!” He shouted out in pure rage, voice slightly muffled from behind the window. His body was turned to them now with his duel disk still strapped onto his arm. When the lock clicked open Cameron swiftly stepped past Mokuba before he could grab onto her hand to stop her and swung the door open.

“Hello, sweetheart. It’s me the ghost of Christmas Present! Here to drag you back to reality!” The American woman announced gleefully, out stretching her arm and keeping her feet on the threshold not having enough courage to walk onto the platform completely.

Seto’s eyes bore through Cameron in disdain, stare scanning over to his brother who was now behind his wife in the doorway. “Mokuba why in the world did you let her down here!” He seethed, voice lowering in anger almost sounding hoarse.

The younger Kaiba’s face dropped in guilt knowing very well how betrayed Seto felt. “She convinced me Seto. We’re just worr--”

“Don’t you dare cop an attitude with Mokuba! Look at you Seto! You’re interacting with a fake image of your friend! Come back upstairs and interact with your real family. The people that are still present in your life. Staying down here isn’t good for your health!” She froze in fear, taking a few steps back as her husband’s tall frame was quickly approaching them.

This caused Mokuba to step back with her, also frightened by the unknown furry that he knew his older brother was capable of. He placed his hand on Cameron’s when he felt her small hand wrap around the fabric of his sleeve as she stayed facing forward towards Seto.

“You know nothing about this Cameron! Who are you criticize when you’re a worse emotional mess than I! You cry over your horrid life in America every day of the week! And then you want to convince my colleague to gift me such a worthless thing after I told you not to turn today into a production!” He slammed the door behind him as he pointed his finger towards her, the arm that still had the duel disk attached to him.

“Oh, get off it, Seto!” She scoffed, holding hands with Mokuba tightly now.

“Yugi is your friend stop trying to play it down! And I think I’m entitled to criticize when all you are is critical to other people. I allow myself to cry unlike you. If you allow yourself to feel vulnerable you won’t have to come down here and imagination that your dead friend is playing a game with you!” She hissed out, keeping a defensive stance as she felt security with the younger Kaiba behind her. Her pretentious demeanor struck a nerve with the already enraged CEO.

“Get out! Both of you!” He demanded, unstrapping the duel disk and slamming it to the floor making the front part visible crack.

Cameron felt Mokuba’s hand tightened around hers as he began pulling her along with him as he rushed towards the door. If it wasn’t for the younger Kaiba the brave American was ready to stand her ground. Not afraid to continue the argument. Only allowing the younger man to drag her away knowing that he knew what was best.

“You fucking animal! Look how disgraceful you’re acting! I didn’t even tell your friend to give you that old chain! You idiotic bastard!” Venom dripped from her words controllably. Keeping her body turned half-way to glare back at her husband’s infuriated state.

“Cam, shut up!” Mokuba butted in as he pushed her out the door and pressed one of the buttons to force the volt entrance shut. The last glimpse of Seto was him being grief-stricken, falling to his knees with a silent sob.

The image was truly bone chilling. A unreal thing to witness. Cameron now understood why Mokuba was so adamant on leaving. He must of sensed the wavering emotions his brother must have been experience. The embarrassment the older Kaiba must be feeling was mortifying.

\--

The ride back upstairs was suffocating. Distraught was clear on Mokuba’s face. Looking angered. Cameron wasn’t sure if it was towards her or himself. Maybe it was both. The only thing that was for sure that he felt like a failure. Like he betrayed his brother by disregarding his wishes. For embarrassing him on his own birthday when he didn’t even want to celebrate it. The doors opened is when the younger Kaiba finally spoke.

“I shouldn’t have listened to you,” He said in defeat, looking downward in shame as he stepped out of the lift.

Cameron didn’t answer him at first, not sure how to respond. “Maybe you shouldn’t have,” She shrugged.

“But I still mean what I said. It’s not healthy for Seto to lock himself away with reality simulator like that. Even more so when it’s with a hologram of the deceased,” She crossed her arms, walking beside Mokuba’s bulkier frame.

“We ruined his birthday Cam. And Seto already hates today with a passion,” Mokuba stopped in the middle of the hallway to stroke his hand across his face slowly. It was a gesture Seto also did when he was upset.

“So? Your brother is far from weak. In order to grow, you must go through difficulties. Remember the pact that was made at the airport? I’m trying my hardest to strengthen myself from my past. And just because he’s good at putting up a front of being invincible doesn’t mean he actually is. He’s still a human-being. He has to let out pain in order to let go. And he obviously hasn’t yet,” Her expression softened as she watched Mokuba slump against the wall of the hallway, sliding down to the rug.

“I don’t want Seto to be unhappy,” His voice barely heard as he hid the lower half of his face behind his knees when he brought his legs up to his chest.

Cameron’s lips tugged to the side in concern. It was oddly charming seeing the reflection of how the Kaiba brother’s bond worked. Mokuba was just as protective of his brother as Seto was of him. The younger Kaiba would follow Seto’s wishes blindly just to keep him content. Seto didn’t need his wife to play savior when his little brother did a better job at the role.

The small brunette sat down with her back against the wall next to him.

“Sometimes you have to feel unhappiness to set yourself free,” She told him softly, wrapping her arms around his large shoulders and tucked a thick strand of hair behind his ear in order to kiss the side of his head.

Mokuba sat in silence, limp in his sister-in-law’s arms as he consumed himself in deep thought. “You shouldn’t have talked to him so viciously,” His voice became weepy, reaching a hand up to grab onto her wrist gently for comfort.

She squeezed his body closer to her. “I agree with you. But to be fair. Seto also has a sharp tongue. I don’t think how I worded it would have made a difference,” She nuzzled her nose into his neck only to get her face lost in his hair.

\--

Seto kept his disappearing act ongoing for the rest of the night. It was to be expected of the older Kaiba. He was famous for keeping to himself when upset or angered. Only the tormented CEO was able to console himself. Not even letting his younger brother who was his world let him see him in such a shameful state of mind.

The two stayed banded together. Not communicating much but their physical presence from one another was enough security for them. Cameron was the one to suggest that they had a sleepover in the game room. Mokuba agreed, wanting to make light of a dark situation. Treating the whole event like a legitimate slumber party. Even making a blanket fort by using the coffee table and couch as the main frame of their tent. It was amusing enough for the younger Kaiba to even snap a picture of him and Cameron under the makeshift shelter and sent it to Hyori who was already on her flight back to Seoul. The television played the first season of Game of Thrones on the lowest volume setting only to serve as white noise for the pair sleeping.

When the darkened sky brighten is when Seto finally freed himself from his dungeon. Hours had past since the incident from last night. Coming closer to the time to head out for work. The older Kaiba treaded lightly through the first floor, trying to make it upstairs without being conspicuous. Only to slow his pace as the light flickering from the game room made him come to a halt. He stood outside the doorway, holding onto the doorframe loosely as he took a look around. Game of Thrones was still playing on the screen. A smug smile tugged his lips getting a view of the blanket fort that was created. Only one head was visible under the fleece roof. Not wanting to wake anybody he didn’t take the chance inside the room. His curiosity wasn’t that strong to want to peer under the blanket. He quietly turned around when he felt a presence behind him.

“I’m fine,” he answered somberly before his brother could ask.

Mokuba was standing directly in front of him. Dressed in a suit for work and hair pulled back neatly.

“Are you sure?” He asked in a hushed tone. Not wanting to wake Cameron.

“Yes,” He hesitated a moment.

“I’m sorry for acting rash last night. I was caught off guard. And for that I apologize,” He admitted, bowing his head slightly and rubbed the back of his sore shoulder.

The younger Kaiba took a step forward and wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist. “It’s alright. I know how you feel. I apologize for letting Cam convince me to allow her down there,” He squeezed his eyes tightly as he felt Seto hug closely to him.

“Don’t apologize,” He spoke calmly, resting his chin on his brother’s shoulder and patted his back lovingly.

The two Kaibas let the cuddle linger as Mokuba whimpered into Seto’s ear.

“I didn’t mean to ruin your birthday Seto I swear,” His voice became weary as he spoke.

“You didn’t ruin it. And neither did Cameron. It couldn’t be helped. Don’t let last night affect you today. Alright?” Seto loosened his grip and slowly pulled away from Mokuba, keeping a tight hold on the top of the younger man’s shoulder.

Mokuba slowly nodded unconvinced. “Please let me take over your shift today then. So you can get some shut-eye.”

Seto let a soft chuckle escape him, kneading at his brother’s shoulders playfully before slipping his hand away. “Since when did lack of sleep stop me from working before?” He kept his smug grin.

“Since today. See it as a late birthday gift from me to you,” Mokuba tried to persuade.

“Get real Mokuba, how many bad nights have I lived through and still accomplished my goals?” The confidence had returned to the older Kaiba. Proudly recovering from last night’s awful display.

“Please, Seto,” He repeated, in a more serious tone now.

Seto wasn’t one to give up a fight but seeing how passionate his brother’s eyes were staring back at him was enough to convince him otherwise. He knew that the younger Kaiba felt guilty and this was his way of trying to make up for it.

“Fine,” He sighed.

“But never ask me out of the blue like that again. My job isn’t your responsibility,” He groaned lowly, stepping back from the sudden force that was brought upon him as Mokuba hopped forward to hug again.

“Thanks, bro! Have a good rest!” He squeezed tightly against him before releasing.

“Yeah, whatever. Just don’t blame yourself for last night. You hear me!” He raised his voice loud enough so he was heard, patting Mokuba’s back before he scurried away.

Once Seto was left alone in the hall his shoulders sagged, feeling the heavy weight of dread hang over him as he turned his head to stare back into the game room with dead eyes. Hoping that his wife slept in so he didn’t have to face her wrath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The movie Re-Animator Mokuba is referring to is a horror comedy movie that's about a medical student that can bring dead bodies back to life. If you like corny horror movies I highly suggest it!
> 
> And the mentioning of Beetlejuice is because talking about bringing the dead back to life reminded me of "the handbook for the recently deceased" Do you think Atem was handed that when he went back home to the afterlife? I found that so funny for some reason.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Insert 100 clapback emojis here) I AM SO DONE WITH MYSELF! BYYYYYE!~
> 
> "Everyone is lost for words like you  
> Beyond fourth dimensional, a miraculous view  
> I feel that you’ve become sensitive  
> A clear color  
> And the sixth sense  
> It’s alright if it’s a bit rough  
> Act more sensitive  
> Don’t hide it anymore  
> Such a beautiful view  
> Such a beautiful view  
> Show me more, the next view  
> Whatever it is you imagined, I’ll show you everything  
> Now tell me yeah yeah  
> I feel that you’ve become sensitive  
> The soft touch  
> You were so used to being bored  
> You forgot about the specialness  
> Now slowly lift your head  
> Kiss me on my eyes  
> To that  
> Beautiful place  
> Take me to  
> That beautiful place"

Seto stood as still as a statue, spending an extra minute in the hallway. Staring straight ahead where Mokuba had disappeared to from the front door. He had basically recovered from last night’s meltdown but was still feeling the mental strain of it all. The heavy burden of what it was like to be alive was getting to him again. It was times like this where the hard realization of Mokuba was growing up. No. He was grown up. That the younger Kaiba was surpassing his brother in many ways. And Seto supposed that was a signal to tread on. The heartache of time passing on was just another painful reminder that life goes on and it can not be stopped. The greatest teacher of that was death. And even in passing Atem was still rearing his ugly head into the miserable CEO’s affairs with his old ancient wisdom. How much he hated it. But at the same time, the older Kaiba could admit that even if he considered it pathetic he continued to miss that bastard with a passion.

His bed was practically beckoning to him with its soft Egyptian cotton sheets and plush duvet. Taking no hesitation Seto headed upstairs, fingers unbuttoning the clasps to his dress shirt even before his feet touched the threshold of his bedroom. He slipped his shirt off and tossed it aside into the laundry bin that was still out from when the maids left it after emptying it from yesterday. He unzipped his trousers, carefully pulling out his Duel Monster locket from his back pocket and hung the chain back over the wooden banister of the headboard before finishing undressing and tossing his bottoms into the hamper as he collapsed right into the made bed. He blindly tugged over the covers and slipped his exhausted body under the sheets letting his eyelids close on their own without even realizing.

In typical fashion, Seto was only able to rest a good 20 minutes without interruption. It didn’t have anything to do with his surroundings. It was more to do with the busy mind that forbade him to get a reasonable amount of sleep. It was rare when the billionaire to sleep throughout the night without getting up at least once. His internal clock was so used to pulling all-nighters that even in his middle adulthood his body was set on the same timer. Today he didn’t have to worry those inconveniences as his schedule was free. Not to mention the night terrors His subconscious refused to let go no matter how hard he tried to forget.

His weary mind may have kept him from receiving a good amount of but it didn’t stop his body from continuing to lay there limply. Every so often when his heavy dark blue eyes weren’t staring blankly at the corner wall of his bedroom they’d close on their own from the pure exhaustion he felt. Even if Seto wanted to get up for the day it was best not to while Cameron was still present in the manor. She was most likely not up yet and how he dreaded hearing from her. As he knew that his wife was going to try to bring up the spectacle from last night. It was a topic he’d rather not discuss. The emotions that were displayed were ones he was very well at hiding away in the deepest part of his heart. He made himself look like a complete fool in front of her. And now she had all the right to never take his word seriously anymore. And Seto could only blame himself for that.

\--

It was a Godsend when a light slumber greeted the exhausted body of the CEO. It wasn’t until the shift in the mattress woke him up only having his eyes crack up slightly when feeling a familiar grip wrap around his waist from under the covers behind him. The warmth of his wife’s body radiated against his bare back as she pressed her chest close to his much larger frame. Seto didn’t respond to her affection at first until he felt her lips kiss along the curve of one of the larger scars etched into his back. It caused him to shudder, slowly leaning forward away from her. He didn’t care for that sensation.

His rejection caused her to tighten her grip around his waist, scooting herself back close against his back once more.

“Don’t be angry with me. I’m sorry,” She whispered against his skin giving it another kiss.

His stare hardened at the wall, not wanting to respond to his wife. Seto just wanted to be left alone. He didn’t want to discuss anything. The only thing he desired was to recharge and move on.

“I’m not,” he managed to seethe out, accidentally brushing his hand against her arm as he adjusted slightly for comfort.

Cameron squished her cheek to the back of his shoulder with a frown, letting a moment past by as she used one of her palms to rub up to his torso soothingly. This was a tenderness he preferred better than the bringing attention to his past abuse.

“I’m surprised to find you in here. I thought for sure that you’d be at work by now,” She pressed her palm into the middle of his chest as she spoke.

“Mokuba insisted that I stayed home and rested since I didn’t sleep last night,” He forced out, his hand finally finding his way over hers now.

“Oh,” Was the simple answer he got in return before it fell silent between them again.

It was an odd experience not having the American woman pry. Seto thought for sure that she’d have a lot to say after seeing him in such a terrible light. Not only with dipping into a guilty pleasure of revisiting the virtual simulator to see Atem’s presence again but also losing the rigid control he owned over himself. Showing such a disgusting display of weakness in front not of not only her but Mokuba.

“I uh, spent all night disconnecting the programming to the virtual dueling platform,” He confessed softly, playing with her slender fingers as he gently pulled at them individually before rubbing down at her wrist.

“That’s good. You kept mentioning that you wanted to remodel the place--And I’m sorry for talking to you so harshly last night. It really upset Mokuba. And maybe I shouldn’t have been so vicious,” She tried to throw in an apology as an attempt to water down the attitude that might flare up from the mention of last night’s episode.

Seto could feel the strands of her long hair brush against his back. “It’s fine, I can say that I deserved it. I wasn’t thinking clearly last night. There was a lot on my mind. And for that I apologize as well,” He intertwined his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb into her palm.

This caused the small brunette to smile, squeezing his hand. “Do you believe me when I said that I didn’t tell Yugi to give you that chain?”

He paused. “Yes.”

“And what made you change your mind? Was it Mokuba?” She asked gently, pulling her arm away when she felt him starting to turn under the covers to face her.

“No, Mokuba didn’t say anything about that. It’s because I know you don’t lie. If it were true that you encouraged Yugi in giving me that gift you would have argued it out. That’s why I believe you. Why must you think that my brother is the ringleader in all my decisions?” He asked in a worn tone.

It was very evident now by getting a close look at Seto’s face that the stress had really affected him this time. His eyes were saddened and posture feeble. It made the American woman empathize with him.

Cameron’s lips grew a weak smile as she leaned in to kiss him. “Seto, you look so handsome in this lighting~” She cooed, making an effort to lighten the mood.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I look like the walking dead. Don’t give me that crap Cameron,” A bit of liveliness hinted back in his tone.

His sarcasm only encouraged her playful nature, crawling closer towards him and snuggled up into his side.

“I beg to differ,” She murmured to him. Stretching up to reach his lips again to kiss him multiple times.

Seto didn’t shoo her away, not really craving this sort of attention at the moment but didn’t necessarily want to turn it down either. Knowing very well that he could easily get caught up in his wife’s mischievous web. He kissed back softly and slowly as their mouths quickly became tangled within one another’s grasp. His large hand found its way to the small of her back with parts of his fingers tangled in the ends of her hair as Cameron lifted her torso up to get better access into this heated kiss.

She broke the kiss with a moan, smiling down at her husband’s half-lidded eyes. “Let me make it up to you for what happened last night,” She whispered to him, pecking his lips once more.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to?” He smirked, sliding his hand down her hip and squeezed it lovingly.

“Please let me be a good wife and help you relax,” Cameron slowly sat up, tossing her hair back so it was out of her face as she kept her palms against his chest and rubbed. She didn’t mind playing this game. She found it quite fun.

“Cameron, why must you be so vague all the time? I don’t have time for evasive answers. I’m a very busy man you know,” His voice had become light-hearted now, letting his wife coax him into this more flirtatious state.

“Well, excuse me! I thought you were the world famous Seto Kaiba. Don’t you know everything?” She teased back, bumping her hip against his hand to make him loosen his grip.

“Here, let me spell it out for you then!” She said, pulling her hands away from his chest and started to wiggle herself out of the pajama top she was wearing and tossed it over her shoulder to show her bare chest.

Seto’s eyes scanned her body instinctually starting from her innocent looking face to her breasts and downwards towards her taut belly. He pulled himself up in bed a bit, resting his back to the headboard as he reached out to cup her breasts together.

“That reminds me,” He spoke absent-mindedly, keeping his gaze directed to her body as he pressed his thumbs against her nipples and tugged gently.

“Yes?” She shivered, wrapping her hand around one of his wrists as she left him toy with her.

“I brought you back something from Italy. It’s in the back of my closet on the top shelf under an empty duel disk box. When you find it bring it out here for me,” He told her calmly, giving her nipples a rough tug as she pulled away from him with a squeal.

Cameron hopped off the bed and followed his instructions, having a bit of difficulty at first not being able to reach the top shelf on her own without standing on her tippy-toes and wobbled back and forth first as she fished down the flat white box that was hidden. Seto watched on in amusement enjoying the view of his wife’s slender back and tan legs that lead up to those tiny shorts she always seemed to wear.

“Did you find it?” He asked, relaxing back into the covers of his bed.

“Yes!” She answered, carrying the box against her chest and laid it down on the foot of the bed.

“Can I open it?” She asked and looked over at him for confirmation.

A simple nod was enough of a validation for her as the short brunette took the top of the box off and removed the tissue paper and picked up a very revealing piece of lingerie. A style that was close to the negligee she had worn on camera during the time Seto was in Italy. It was white with the fabric being a sheer lace.

“Oh my God, Seto!” She neatly placed the garment back down on top of the box to place her hand over her mouth to cover her growing smile.

“What? I picked white because you are my bride. I thought it was suitable,” He answered in a very serious tone.

“No! I mean, nobody got suspicious when you out of all people walked into a lady’s department store to buy something so risque?” She slid her hand down and placed it over her chest in disbelief.

“I bought it online,” Seto crossed his arms against his chest and nodded to her.

“There’s another piece that goes with it too,” he said, eyes carefully watching her.

Cameron blinked, turning back to the box and dug through the rest of the tissue paper to find a matching pair of panties. It caused her face to flush.

“I like how this is what you get me for my birthday!” She huffed, shaking her head with that nervous grin appearing back on her face.

Seto let out a chuckle. “Who said it was for _your_ birthday?” He said snidely with a smirk.

The comment caused Cameron to snap her head back with wide eyes.

“You bastard!” She screeched with a laugh as she launched the panties at him like a rubber band with the elastic waistband.

Her outburst made a genuine chuckle escape him, picking up the panties in his hand and bunched them up.

“That’s fine. You don’t have to wear them. They’re just going to end up on my floor anyway,” He kept his smirk, watching her start to fully undress and slip the lacey garment over her body.

Once the short brunette had finished she crawled back onto the bed and into his lap as he accepted her small body into his arms and found themselves kissing again. This time with Cameron grabbing hold of his face gently so there was more emphasis on their closeness.

Their session was about to be short-lived as the ear-splitting ringing from Seto’s phone started to sound off. It was like an alarm. The older Kaiba didn’t bother with a cute ringtone. He preferred the standard old fashion telephone ringing. It was something he was able to hear and never ignore. Cameron gripped onto his face tighter when she saw her husband’s eyes pan away from hers and towards the nightstand where the phone was rested.

“Seto no!” She whimpered once he broke the kiss and pulled his face away from her hold.

“Don’t be senseless Cameron,” He uttered at her bitterly, reaching over to his phone and looking down at the caller ID first before answering.

“What do you want?” He scoffed, squeezing his fingertips into the delicate material of her lingerie.

Cameron sighed heavily, slumping into her husband’s muscular chest letting her lips find the tops of his shoulders and the crook of his neck. Her attempt at seducing him this way was a failure as the dull business talk was still ongoing as Seto was slowly getting aggravated by whatever department supervisor he was talking with. His hand had wandered down to her bare rear where the skimpy bottom of the lace rode up. He’d squeeze hard at her cheek when an excuse was made on the other end and angered Seto.

His wife was boring easily from the waiting. Resting against him momentarily before catching a glimpse of the bulge that was greeting her from below. She bit her lip, glancing up at her husband who was looking elsewhere as he chewed the poor person on the other end out. Cameron made her escape out of his lap having Seto let her leave with ease since his mind was too focused back on work. He only took notice of the American woman again when he felt her tongue suckle against the skin of his chest. It was enough to ignore, nudging her away gently and turned to the side as his tone cooled down after getting his way during the argument.

His rejection didn’t sway her this time only making her latch on closer, suckling a bit harder on his skin to leave a hickey. Her hand glided down his toned stomach and slipped through the slit in his boxers. The CEO’s cold eyes finally caught with hers, giving her a stern stare and chased her hand to stop her mischief but to little avail, the gripped fingers that found the shape of his shaft was too much to bear. He gritted his teeth, squeezing Cameron’s hand hard trying to force her to stop. It only caused the devious woman to stroke harder finding great pleasure in watching her menacing husband turn into putty in her hands. She squinted in content, sitting up straight again to kiss under his chin.

He was barely getting a word in edgewise now. Trying so hard to keep a straight-face even over the phone, the friction of her grip around him must have been finally been building up as it was clear he felt the excitement. She could tell by the way it pulsed in her hand, Seto still had his hand gripped onto her wrist but this time loosely. He had given in to the danger and he liked it. Cameron knew her husband too well by now. He wouldn’t take her bad behavior if he didn’t secretly enjoy it.

Her kissing around his neck and collarbones continued as her sly eyes stayed glued to his harsh stare on her. In normal circumstances, those daggers for eyes would have made her feel guilty or ashamed. But not in this case she knew that she was winning this round of the game they often played. Her lips broke away from his skin with a sneaky smile.

“You’re getting ready, aren’t you? I can see how desperate you want it~” She cooed, tightening the grip she had on him and leaned back in close to his face for another kiss.

The pride that the calculating CEO had must have broken at this point. Without a word he caught Cameron in a deep kiss, hanging up in whoever’s face and dropped the phone with the discharged clothes on the floor. He gripped onto her wrist more harshly, forcefully pulling it out of his boxer shorts and haphazardly grabbed onto her free arm so his small wife didn’t have a chance to escape. He used his body weight to push her gently into the duvet of the bed having a muffled squeal of surprise. The small brunette struggled under her his hold, wiggling her arms frantically when her husband held her wrists together and pinned them over her heard. When the kiss broke and those blue cunning eyes cast down upon her fear lingered in her stare. The view of her unsettled face confused him. Unsure of the cause. It struck him, immediately releasing his hold on her wrists and sat up away from her.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” He frowned, eyes unable to break away from the appetizing curves of her body.

When she slowly sat up he was still bold enough to run his long fingertips across the outline of her hips. Cameron stretched forward, letting Seto have a better reach to touch along her stomach and down her thigh.

“It’s okay. Just relax Seto, I just want you to enjoy yourself,” The short brunette murmured to him as she inched in closer to him to kiss, carefully crawling back over him into his lap.

By this time Seto had found a grip back onto her rear, rubbing it lovingly as she kissed back. He was curious on what happenings of this situation but was tempted enough to tame his ego and allow his back to lay down against the softness of the comforter as his wife’s palms pushed against his chest to assist him downwards. Once his toned body was flat as a board Cameron yanked his boxers off in a hurry and straddled his hips, having the slit of her part glide against his still protruding shaft. It was a complete tease with the wetness from that small body helping to rub against his throbbing part as her body weight made it press close to his lower belly. It took all of this rigid man’s self-control not to pull her down and have his way with her.

Seto kept a tight hold on her rear and occasionally let his hands rub up and down the rest of her supple body. A very faint groan escape between his lips, lifting his hips up when he left his tip dip into her drenched entrance. This was his very first time experiencing a woman in this position. As a Bachelor, he’d never allowed his partner to take control of him in such a way. Always preferring to take the lead. This was something completely different for him and it was unclear to him why he enjoyed this when he hated to be dominated. Perhaps it was the incredible view of his wife’s body that made him behave. He had a full vision of Cameron’s face and frame all at once. It was very pleasing to the eyes and alluring to his manhood.

It was the sensation of being able to soak back into the familiar tightness that drove Seto mad. His hips cringed, trying to contain them from bucking upwards into her as he continued to let his petite wife keep the lead. The rocking of her hips was slow and fluid, also hypnotizing to watch. The modesty she portrayed before was just an act. This woman was skillful in this department. She had done this before and the quiet moans that came from her were enough to set him off.

He gripped onto her hips tightly, forcing the rocking to come to a halt and thrusted his hips upwards in a sharp motion. It caused her to gasp, letting out a much louder moan.

“O-oh!~” She accepted his sudden roughness as she arched her back to allow his tip to hit the right spot.

Seto’s steely eyes locked with hers that were drowning from pleasure. He smirked, tugging her forward to kiss her lips.

“You challenge me to rile me up don’t you?” He purposely became more aggressive in his movement just to watch her face flush from ecstasy.

She nodded weakly with continuous moaning, pressing her palms to her chest as the snugness his shaft was trapped in tightened. He pushed her back up straight gently so he was able to observe the outline of her body as it bounced over him.

“How pitiful it is that you try to act so prudish but in reality you’re only a naughty girl who likes to be punished~” His voice was a bit strained, trying to compose himself from the pleasure that was starting to slowly build up. Nonetheless, his tone was as slick as very, showing his superiority. Letting the image of his vulnerable wife flood his senses.

Getting satisfied with the glossy submissive look in her eyes he lovingly rubbed his hand up her side all the way to her neck to cradle the back of her head, burying his fingers into her long hair as he stuck his thumb into her mouth as an attempt to quiet her voice down. Cameron grabbed hold of his wrist loosely as her husband kept a firm hold on her hip with his free hand, starting to suck on his thumb and run her tongue around the tip of it.

The sensation of the wetness of her mouth combined with the pleasure that he was receiving from between her legs forced Seto shift positions in bed, tossing the small frame of his wife back into the sheets so he could triumph back to his rightful spot back over her. She had fallen apart at this time, climaxing before him with no surprise. Letting out a weakened whine when he skillful slipped himself back in and continued to pound into her most precious spot. Her limbs wrapped around him frantically. Legs around his waist and arms over his shoulders. The lusty male had resorted to lip-locking with her again to shut her up. Only to break the kiss when his thrusts started to become shallow. Heavy panting was to follow, leading up to his own exaggerated orgasm. His shaft pulsed harshly with the release of warmth causing Cameron to squirm in pleasure.

Seto couldn’t even muster up enough strength to slip off her small body after collapsing against her. Completely draining whatever energy he had left straight into the seductive woman. The couple fell asleep in each other hold, wrapping his muscular arms around her tiny waist using her as some sort of teddy bear. Cameron only loosened her grip on his waist and shoulders. Continuing to hang off him like a weakened sloth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It’ll be the first time for anyone, like you  
> (I feel a thousand senses)  
> Smelling and tasting the starlight  
> (I’ll never leave you lonely)  
> Feeling the weight of the scent  
> (I won’t let you down)  
> Seeing the color and shape of sounds"
> 
> The song is View by Shinee which only came to my mind while writing the scene where Seto is looking at Cam while sitting over him.


	43. Chapter 43

A couple of hours passed while the two stayed intertwined in each other's arms. Seto had found himself in a proper spot back next to his wife's side. Holding her close with Cameron's face cuddled into the crook of his neck. Rubbing at his back once her eyes fluttered open, glancing over his shoulder. Not wanting to wake him She slowly slipped out of his grasp and slinked out from underneath the covers. With wobbly legs, she managed to shuffle into the bathroom and turn the tap on for warm water. Letting the tub fill up and sat down on the toilet to slip off the lingerie. Only a few minutes past after when Seto had woken up. The small brunette was settled into the tub to let the hot water soothe her achy thighs.

He had walked into the bathroom without a sound. His fitted boxers were back on, staring at himself in the mirror. His drooping eyes still looked dead tired from the reflection. Surely the uptight CEO must have felt relaxed but that only lead to allowing the true exhaustion to seep back in. His stare slowly panned over to his wife as he trolled to the side of the tub and discharged his underwear off to join her into the water with her.

"Will your grasshopper legs fit?" She teased him with a smile, sitting at opposite ends with him and crawled forward to be closer.

"Don't be dumb. Of course," He sneered softly, holding her close to him and kissed the top of her head. His heavy eyelids closed making it an effort to crack them open again to stare down at Cameron's face.

"I didn't mean to be forceful with you. I was to caught up in the moment and I just want you to know that I wasn't pinning you down to hurt you," He stroked his fingers through her dampened hair.

"I realized that right away. I know you wouldn't purposely make me feel in danger. I'm aware that you like to play a little rough. And that's okay," She nuzzled into him, kissing along his collarbone.

He shivered gently at the sudden touch. "Good," His eyes closed once more.

\--

The time spent together was fairly enjoyable. Cameron sat on the sink after she was dressed while her husband finished up his daily grooming which included shaving. Had brunch in bed which included a couple of rounds of mimosas. Though, with Seto keeping true to his internal programming he excused himself from bed shortly after eating. The American woman didn't make to much of a fuss as she knew that her husband wouldn't feel right staying home and doing nothing productive. Especially since Mokuba persuaded his way into covering for the older Kaiba.

Seto was however still kind enough to give Cameron a long enough cuddle before parting ways with her. Disappearing into his office. She laid on the bed watching him leave. Taking notice of how attractive he still looked dressed down. It was a rare sight to see Seto in casual clothing that wasn't jogging wear or suits. His pants were fitted and black with his top being a slightly oversized multi-colored sweater. Shoulders being white, chest a pale blue, and bottom being a light grey. 

Cameron let time pass, about 30 minutes after her husband headed off to his office. With light footsteps, she knocked on the door first before cracking it open. Seto was seated behind his desk, glasses on and fingers tapping away at the keyboard. He only took a quick glance up at her and kept his main focus on his computer screen.

"What?" He grumbled.

It was to be expected, the bliss from indulgences in risque behavior had now faded for the punctual man. It was impressive how well Seto could separate work from play. He gave himself an ultimatum of how long he could enjoy himself until it was time to go back to the grid. Cameron stepped in, closing the door behind her.

"I just wanted to tell you something," She said sweetly, trying to keep a positive mood so he didn't get too annoyed.

Seto didn't answer as he took his time clearly reading over something by the way his pupils slowly moved. The Japanese text was reflecting off his glasses. After a couple of clicks from his mouse, he exited the screen and removed his hand from the keyboard.

"Go on," He told her calmly, pushing his chair out a few inches away from his desk.

Her husband's gesture was welcoming enough for her to approach the desk and lean her hip against the edge of it.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier but I just wanted to inform you that I stopped taking my birth control after having the initial conversation about it," She glanced down and tucked a loose piece of her behind her ear.

There was a hesitation from Seto, crossing his arms against his chest. "Is that it?"

"Well, yes?" When she perked her head up she took notice of his eyes. They were unreadable. His tone was also bland. Afraid of the outcome of her confession she stayed silent.

"Are you okay with that?" She slowly added on.

Seto shrugged, slipping off his glasses. "I told you it's your body. You can do what you like with it," He rubbed at his face, setting his frames down onto the desk.

"But you also said to keep taking it until further notice," She spoke softly, taking a seat on the edge of the desk.

"Listen, Cameron, I think I've explained this before. I'm not opposed to having a child. You just have to remember that it's a great responsibility. Meaning tha--"

"Don't talk to me like I don't know any better! I'm very well aware of the responsibilities that come with a baby!" She frowned with hurt looking eyes, crossing her arms subconsciously to match her husband.

Seto's face stayed stone-faced. Being very unimpressed with her outburst.

"Meaning that," He repeated from where he ended off but with more of a harsher tone. Cameron rolled her eyes to this.

"You need to have better self-control. Just like now. Is that any way to act out in front of a developing mind? Your actions will affect our child. Not to mention that your mood swings are so often will you be stable enough to keep composer and act mature enough without doing anything reckless?" He leaned his back into the cushion of his chair, stretching his torso forward and scooted a bit closer back to his desk to fold his hands onto his desk.

"You think I'll be a poor mother," She squeezed her hands into fists, feeling a wave of betrayal overcome her.

"No, see! There you go again! I just wanted to reiterate how I'd look forward to fathering a child with you. But I want to make sure you take the time to consider the impact of it all. The thought of a baby is cute, isn't it? I'm more than sure you'd love it unconditionally. But keep that in mind," He kept his posture with his hands folded in front of him as he kept his typical harsh stare on his wife.

Her face was troubled, Seto could tell. It'd be nonsensical if he continued to talk. So he waited patiently as the gears turned in Cameron's mind.

"I just feel like sometimes I'm only good enough to fuck. But when it comes to serious things like this you never take me seriously," She kept her arms crossed, obviously feeling insecure.

His stare sharpened with his lips pressed straight together, he didn't care for when she used foul language. Seto thought it wasn't very becoming of her and made her seem low class.

"And you haven't realized that's just your own mind trying to sabotage you from moving forward? I've repeated so much if I say it anymore I might as well drop dead from it. I do not see you as a plaything. Do you understand? You are my wife and I care for you deeply. I'm just concerned for your mental state at times. The emotional breakdowns you have are horrific. It's something that I don't want our child to experience," He explained to her calmly, finally pulling his hands off the desk and scooted his chair in again.

Seto placed his glasses back on and crept a hand over the top of her thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze seeing that the small brunette was still seated on his desk. He let her stay without question, starting to click at files with his mouse. A moment of silence went by with the American woman feeling quite foolish. And regretting even coming in here.

"Do you think I'd be a good mother?" She squeaked out, tilting her head to the side as her the ends of her long hair swayed to the side.

"If you can control your temper. Yes," He answered honestly, glancing up at her from the tops of his glasses.

Cameron's bottom lip quivered ever so slightly as another wave of emotion crashed over her.

"Can I have a cuddle before I go?" She glanced down at his hand still losing gripping her leg.

He pulled his hand away and pulled his chair out once again, opening an arm out to her.

"Of course," He said calmly.

With a weakened smile, Cameron hopped off the edge of the desk and quickly leaned into her husband's larger build to press close against his chest. He coiled an arm around her small waist and planted a kiss on her cheek before bringing his attention back to the open files on his computer monitor. She sat on his knee, curling into his body and watched him diligently look over the commercial properties of the virtual reality system. To the unkeen eye, it would seem that the distant CEO was uninterested, playing no mind to his small wife in his lap. But if you looked closely at the way he massaged his fingers into her side occasionally was a sign that he did indeed care.

\--

Cameron had made herself scarce a few minutes after. Not wanting to become a complete bother to her husband as she knew that he did have work to do. The only problem with this was that even after the foolish American woman left Seto had a hard time going back to fully focusing on the task at hand. Parts of their conversion about bringing a child into the world was a lot to handle. The financial status was clearly not an issue. And it was true that he saw Cameron as a good fit for a mother. She loved Mokuba as her own and took great joy in her charity work with the needy children at the orphanages. It was terrifying to think that the great Seto Kaiba could create a life. It wasn't even an inkling of a thought. And he could honestly admit that if it wasn't for his wife taking the initiative it still wouldn't have been a choice.

He threw his glasses back on top of the desk to run both hands up his face with eyes shut tight. Even at a time like this, the only thing that his clouded mind could backtrack to was Atem. That fool. Why must he clutter his mind when there were more important things to be dwelled on. Birth of a child leads to life which is the opposite of death. And somehow the CEO's convoluted brain was able to connect the dots back to the deceased pharaoh. How Seto hated this. Maybe it was his way of showing the path to insight. With Mokuba growing older and his marriage finally growing stronger. Maybe it was time to move on.

Seto had used such profound words towards his wife but seemed to be having trouble grasping the thought of his own logic. He was sabotaging himself at this very moment. And dragging his dead rival back from the grave when he had nothing else to prove to. This was sick, even more, Seto. How worthless he was for thinking so lowly of himself. It was very well possible that he wouldn't be a father of the year but he would a better damn father then his biological and that dreaded Gozaburo bastard. Everybody was living on borrowed time some way or another. And It wasn't right to let two dead men dictate when should be down in his waking life.

\--

Another hour was spent staring at his computer screen blankly with only a few additions of the transcripts before existing out of them walking out of his office and down a flight of stairs to the second floor where the library was found. He pattered in, trying to be discreet as he appeared from behind a large tall bookshelf.

"Hey, I want to go jogging. Why don't you get changed?" He rested his arm on the side of the shelf, speaking to her calmly in Japanese taking the opportunity to test her skills seeing that her language book was open.

Cameron was hunched over an antique styled desk. Leafing through a pile of papers. Her body stiffened, keeping her face turned downwards as she kept her eyes scanning through the paragraphs. Her long hair hung in her face and slowly pushed back to her shoulders when she sat up straight and up at Seto.

"Sure, but can we go after lunch? Mokuba wanted to meet up at a cafe," She answered back with a bit of hesitation to some of her words as she answered back in his native tongue.

A smirk slowly curved his lips, satisfied with her progress. "That's fine. At what time?" He asked back.

Cameron blinked, turning slightly to pull open a top drawer where she hid her phone in order not to look at it when she worked. When pulling it out she looked down at the screen.

"12:00 on the dot," She told him, looking back up at him and blinked in surprise when he started strolling towards her.

A faint smile appeared on her face when her husband cupped her cheek to bend down to peck her lips. She placed her hands over his to kiss back, letting the kiss linger a moment and broke it before it was able to get too heated.

\--

20-minutes before noon the couple headed off into one of Seto's pricey silver cars. Before starting up the engine the older Kaiba pulled out his phone and propped it on his dashboard.

"Where are we heading to?" He asked, starting to pull up the GPS on his tap screen.

Cameron held her messenger bag in her lap and against her chest. "Doki Doki Neko cafe," She said, looking over at him when he turned to stare at her blankly.

"What?" She frowned.

"Did you choose that cafe?" He asked, suspiciously.

"No, Mokuba did. Why?" The small brunette raised a brow at her husband's cold gaze.

"Mokuba wouldn't pick a place like that. It's a cat cafe," He said matter factly.

"I suppose your brother can't like cats?" Cameron's tone became a bit uppity in contrast to the critical CEO's harsh exterior.

"No, it's not that. Who else is coming to this lunch, Cameron?" His tone quickly became darker.

His attitude had caused the American woman to glare. "Why must you think that there's a catch to everything? Can't we just go out and enjoy the day!" She huffed.

His wife's defensive stance didn't sway the steely blue-eyed man's stone-face. "It's Yugi isn't it?"

Cameron pouted, turning her head to face the window opposite of him and propped her elbow on the armrest of the door. "Yes! It's Yugi! What do you have against seeing your friend?"

"I don't. I just don't like how you create setups for me. I don't need you constantly creating interventions. I have better things to do than to amuse your silly notions," He scoffed, turning the engine off.

His wife swung back to face him, grabbing onto his arm. "You can't do that Seto! Yugi and Mokuba are expecting us! If you don't go they'll worry! Stop being a baby!" She snapped at him as he yanked his wrist out of her grip.

"A baby! You're the only baby here! Trying to be sneaky instead of just telling me your true motives! I don't appreciate you trying to manipulating me into a situation," His blue eyes continued to stare harshly at her, running his fingers through his fridge.

"No, I think you're acting like a baby for not wanting to face Yugi! He isn't judging you for how you feel about Atem. You have to remember that Atem was literally apart of him. He understands how much you must miss him--"

"Oh spare me, Cameron! You don't think I don't know this?" He flung his hand away from his face and thumped it onto the steering wheel in annoyance.

"Then let's stop stalling and go to the damn cat cafe!" She practically spat at him.

Seto's scowl was permanent with eyes now looking through the glass of the front window as he stared into nothing. Just overthinking in his own mind. He tightened the grip on the steering wheel, looking angered as he turned the ignition back on and silently started to back out of the garage.

By this time Cameron had her arms crossed and was just as visibly disgruntled as her husband at this point. She kept the silence going for most of the drive up until she couldn't bite her tongue any longer.

"You know if I didn't know any better. I swear you were in love with the pharaoh," She spoke harshly in a serious tone.

Anger engulfed Seto at that very moment, keeping his cool as they were stuck at a red light.

"Excuse me?" He hissed as he couldn't help but direct his piercing eyes over at his small wife.

"You act like somebody who was in love," She said, glancing away at him at first and finally got fed up and glared back at him.

"You don't think so?" She continued on.

Seto pressed his lips tighter together, slowly focusing back on the road to drive forward. There was another long while before the couple spoke again as Cameron knew that her husband was letting her words sink in. That he was very much thinking hard about what he was feeling. The older Kaiba wasn't one for expressing emotion. It was very evident that even the American still had a hard time differentiating how her husband truly felt. It was a hard struggle for somebody who continuously hid their true face to the world. And how lack of trust could affect a person's way of loving. Half of the reason for Cameron's question was out of annoyance, just wanting to get under her husband's skin. But the other side genuinely was curious.

"I don't know," Seto finally answered, parking the car in a remote place nearby the small building by the water. There were cats already seen lounging in the large pane windows.

"I've never been in love before so I can't say," He turned to face his wife again, still time his expression only a bit more softened.

His words struck a chord in her heart, feeling a bit bad for not only him but herself. 

"Not even with me?" She said in almost a whisper.

"Besides you. I know I'm very fond of you," He hushed his tone as well, having difficulty admitting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluff!
> 
> I know I've said this on wattpad but I've explained how Cam is actually a mother character. I legit use her in plots to be somebody's mom or caretaker. So she actually thrives on nurturing things. She's a good mommy I think.
> 
> I'm seriously not into prideshipping or rivalshipping. I can say I can appreciate the concepts of them and get inspiration. But the whole 'Seto being in love' with Atem thing actually comes from a personal experience with me and how I had to question my own sexuality. I won't go into great detail. All I want to express is that I think you can be in love with somebody without wanting to f*ck them. Or even in Seto's case because he isn't really intuned with his emotions and has been let down so many times when Atem left he just snapped. <\--- Actually, I think that's what happened. We'll see though. xD;


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am!~ Back at you! There's a headcanon of Seto having bad allergies and that's one of the reasons why the Kaiba brothers never have any pets. This is the reason why Seto knew that the cat cafe wasn't Mokuba's idea because his brother knows. I couldn't find the right spot to show how Seto has bad allergies so I'll have to squeeze it in the next chapter.
> 
> I really want to bring back Ryou and Malik. I miss them. (;n;) Soon enough I guess right? 
> 
> PS. Tommy Boy is probably one of my favorite childhood movies.

Despite the uncomfortable conversion in the car the couple seemed to put themselves back together with little effort. Seto was not only good at playing off his emotions but so was his sly wife. They held hands when they walked into the cafe. Cameron brightened up when seeing all the cats crawling around the small space. Yugi stood up from the classic tatami table. The pillows that took the place of chairs were patterned cutely with little black paw prints to keep up with the theme. He waved at them with a welcoming grin having Cameron approach him first with a tight hug.

Seto stood in the back of her, glancing down at the long-haired tortoiseshell cat who was already rubbing against his leg. He took a step forward as he watched his wife, slipping off his overcoat and holding it open. Waiting for Cameron to take a seat across from Yugi. Once she did he neatly laid his coat over her bare knees and thighs that were only concealed by a pair of sheer tights when her floral skirt rode up. To keep her modesty.

“Mokuba’s not here yet?” Cameron asked, smiling up at Seto as a thank you, watching him take a seat next to her.

“No, not yet. He’s most likely stuck in traffic,” Yugi shrugged, picking up the fluorescent two-toned colored iced drink he had ordered while waiting for his friends to arrive.

“He’s coming,” Seto interjected quietly in his gruff tone, looking down at the screen of his phone while running his fingers across the back of the cat that was pressing for his attention when they first walked in.

Cameron leaned forward, trying to gawk over at the screen. “Ask him how long. If it’s too long he can give us his order so it’ll be ready by the time he shows up,” She suggested, playing with the buttons of the overcoat in her lap by gently twisting them around.

“Hey! Don’t worry about it! I’m in no hurry. Let’s just relax and take our time,” Yugi tried to keep the mood light, fishing the tip of his straw back in his mouth to take a long sip of his colorful drink.

“It’s fine,” Seto continued to grumble, ignoring the cat now as he texted his baby brother back.

“If he takes too long I’ll just order for him,” He said, glancing up at Yugi with a cool stare and then caught eyes with his wife curiously.

“This cat really seems to like you,” She grinned, stretching her arm over to stroke the fluffy back it’s black and orange patched fur.

The feline started to purr, stepping completely into the cynical CEO’s lap with squinted content eyes. Because it was a small space it had a homey feeling to it. Giving off more of a standard Japanese family living room vibe due to the decor which was mainly wood. Besides the couch where a couple was seated two other tatami tables that looked lost compared to the various cat beds and playsets displayed along the four walls of the room. Most hung from walls so the four-legged creatures could tiptoe and lounge up high. Everywhere you looked there was a cat. None of them looked the same. Most were being entertained by other customers. Or looked onwards from above their high shelves.

“My grandpa always says that animals sense a person’s true nature. She must know that Seto has a good heart,” Yugi smiled, playing with the bendy part of his straw now.

Seto’s deep blue eyes dulled at the comment, flashing an unimpressed stare at his friend diagonal from him.

“How charming,” His sarcasm seeped out as his lips pulled into a sagging frown.

The comment was very off-putting to the gentle rebel as his smile completely dropped. Looking away in a bit of embarrassment.

Cameron rolled her eyes at her husband while he handed the furball off to her. “I’ve heard that saying before to Yugi. And I have to agree. Even if Seto doesn’t think so,” She held the cat in her arms, giving the top of its head a kiss.

Seto’s eyes narrowed as he watched the bushy long tail brush against his navy blue coat, leaving little strains of hair onto the coarse fabric of the wool. “Don’t put it on my coat! Do you know how much dander their fur carries!” He scoffed.

“Lighten up Seto! I will personally wash it for you when we get home. Relax!” She continued to cuddle the cat against her chest.

Seto kept his critical stare, taking notice of the feline’s squinted gold eyes. “It has the same mischievous stare as you,” He murmured, reaching over to give it a pat on the head before Cameron released her hold on it as it began to squirm.

Being amused by this Cameron tilted her head with a smile, imitating the same sly look he was referring to.

“I don’t follow?” She cooed softly.

“Hmph,” The tall brunette’s eyes closed with a smirk gracing his face.

When he opened his eyes again he gave a similar cunning stare back, reaching over to brush his fingers against the side of her jawline. Pretending as if he was wiping something away from her face.

“Are you trying to rile me up in a place like this? Shame on you,” He spoke very faintly to her in French.

By this time Yugi’s phone could only distract him so much. The tortoiseshell cat was now paying him a visit as he was happily giving it a cuddle. He watched the couple from across the table dumbfounded. Not really catching on to their conversion. Seeing that this behavior was extremely odd for them.

“Um, hi guys. Did I just miss something?” He set his phone face down with an awkward smile and propped his elbows on the table to rest his chin in his palm. The cat’s ears perked, looking over at the couple with curiosity too.

It caused Cameron to snap back to reality, face tinting a shade of pink as she grabbed hold of her husband’s hand and pushed it away from and down under the table.

“Nothing!” She tried to play it off.

“Seto is just being critical of my makeup blending again,” She huffed, glancing back over at the older Kaiba who was back on his phone.

“Mokuba said order without him. A workshop is running over late,” He said, playing it cool as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

\--

The spread on the table was an arrangement of different things. With the specialties being the drinks which were of course on the house after the owner found out that Seto Kaiba had entered their small establishment. The American woman had settled for an almost identical iced drink as Yugi but being mixed with different fruit flavors having it being other shades of colors compared to the eccentric gamer’s tall glass. It wasn’t hard to spot Seto’s drink as it was just a cup of plain boring coffee. Cameron had tried to coerce her husband into one of the more cuter cat themed expressos but it was to no avail. Instead, there were appealing plates taking the center stage of the cuteness. Which included a brick-sized Shibuya toast cut in the shape of a cat head. Topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream, cut strawberries and a heaping pile of whipped cream on top with chocolate drizzle and pocky biscuits sticking out of the sides for whiskers. For the savory part of the meal was an omurice with the omelet part serving as a blanket for the cat shaped rice small sleeping under it. A slice of cheese was a pillow and a bit of lettuce and other vegetables was garnished beside it.

Seto let the kids have their fun as his choice for lunch was simple. A curry dish that was served in what seemed to be a cat bowl. With carrots and potatoes cut-out in cute shapes. Though, not being shy of eating the spoonfuls that were offered to him by both Yugi and his wife.

The bell attached to the door jingled when it opened. The broad shoulders of the younger Kaiba could be seen from a distance with a grin. Seto slowly stood up from the table to greet him as Mokuba strutted over with open arms. A reassured smile was seen just for a split second from Seto as he patted Mokuba back and sat down.

“Come to eat. Before the ice cream on your Shibuya melts,” The older Kabia’s nagging was now embedded in him from years of parenting as his dimmed stare watched Mokuba go ahead the table to greet both Yugi and Cameron.

Before sitting down Mokba stopped, turning towards a chubby brown tabby cat.

“Look at that big boy!” He beamed, crouching down to stroke the felines back and gently picked it up and sat down at the table across from Seto with his new companion placed in his lap.

Cameron used one of the empty plates and started placing pieces of the omelet and bread dessert to share with Mokuba. She stretched over the table to set it in front of him as the younger Kaiba was more involved in other things. He used his hands to hold the chubby cat upright in a sitting position with its long striped tail swaying back and forth. Wiggling it’s upper paws gently making it look like the feline was dancing.

“Fat guy in a little coat!~” He chuckled out, quoting the movie _Tommy Boy_ before the cat got too annoyed and hopped away.

Seto rolled his eyes at the immaturity, glancing over at his wife who was eager to try a taste of his curry as he fed her a spoonful.

“So, how was the workshop Mokuba? Hope it wasn’t too boring?” Yugi asked, popping the last chunk of strawberry into his mouth that was left on his plate.

“Nah, you know it was the usual stuff,” He shrugged, glancing back down at one of the other cats trotting around the place and smiled as he used a spoon to scoop up some of the rice.

“Oh!” Mokuba’s face lit up, patting Yugi’s arm as he chewed.

“I saw some clips from the playthrough of your game! It looks totally rad! Who did you get to do the voice of the pharaoh?” He asked, eating another spoonful.

Yugi gave a coy smile, catching a glimpse of Seto who seemed to be now invested into the conversion. “Me,” He said simply.

“You did? Whoa, Yugi! You ever think of doing some voice acting work? You made the character sound so suave!” Mokuba chuckled, reaching over to take a sip of water that was set on the table.

Cameron smiled at this, resting her head on Seto’s bicep. “Why are you acting surprised? It’s the same voice he uses to woo his darling Anzu with,” She let out a laugh having Mokuba join in.

Yugi only gave a faint chuckle. “Maybe. I took a lot of inspiration of how Atem spoke. No surprise. I wanted it to feel genuine,” He added, resting his arms on the table.

Seto had his arms crossed with his wife pressed against his side, arm hooked with his. He didn’t care for her public display of affection but it made her happy so he didn’t pry. And besides that, it looked good to the onlookers. Not wanting them to catch on to the couple’s toxic behavior.

“Is this a reason why I haven’t seen the finished prototype yet?” He asked, with a bit of a dark tone.

“Oh, Seto don’t be jealous!” The petite brunette slapped his arm playfully.

“Jealous! Please! I’m more concerned about the outcome of the game. Why bother producing it if it’s not going to make an impact on the masses?” He quickly got fed up, cooly slipping his arm away from her grasp and sipped the last of his coffee.

“Well, it’s not the complete finished prototype. There’s still a bit of editing that needs to be done. But you’ll see the game on Halloween when the game is will be played during the party I’m hosting,” Yugi explained, feeling a bit unnerved.

“Geez, take a breather Seto. The game is gonna be awesome! Trust me on this. I played a few minutes of it,” Mokuba get his chipper demeanor.

“Yeah, well. I’ve had enough of these cats already,” He said snidely before standing up.

“I have work to do at home still,” he glanced down at Cameron who was held up his overcoat for him and slowly stood, pulling at the bottom of her skirt so it didn’t rise up.

“Wait Kaiba! I have something for you,” Yugi frowned when seeing his former rival stand.

It caused Seto to raise a brow as he pulled his coat over and fixed the collar. “I don’t want anything. If it’s that damn chain. Just keep it. I have no attachment to it,” He said, turning around swiftly and headed towards the door.

Cameron stared harshly at her husband leaving, turning her head back towards the table and made eye-contact with Mokuba who looked on in concern. Yugi was awkwardly holding out the flat square gift. It was wrapped in the same childish Duel Monster themed wrapping paper like the previous gift was. Without hesitation, she reached over and took it gently from the gentle rebel.

“I’ll have him open it later. Thank you Yugi,” She told calmly with a smile.

Before leaving she hugged Mokuba and Yugi. Taking her dear sweet time walking out of the cafe, petting a few furball friends on the way.

\--

The bedroom door to the West wing was cracked open just enough to see the glimpse of two pairs of feet sprawled out against the wrinkled white sheets. Along with the faint sound of a creaking headboard hitting against the wall and the quiet cries of ecstasy echoing throughout the four walls of the brilliant CEO’s room. The image of his strong carved back was the main view. Pale skin overtopping the beautiful warm complexion of his small wife. Only having the bottom halves of their body covered by the thin layer of the top sheet. Moving with the friction of Seto’s ruthless hips. Only gaining more of a stronger momentum when he felt himself coming undone. Feeling the vice that was his wife’s lower half spasm for the third time in a row. He was the least impressed, keeping a tight hold on the side of her face as he gently rubbed down her neck and occasionally at her bare breasts. He wanted to make sure that she wasn’t able to look away. He loved seeing the lost expression her innocent looking face got when she crumbled into nothing more than a mess by his own hands.

Such an appealing sight of having such a hard-headed, difficult woman give into such a shameful state. It was such an overwhelming feeling to her husband that he gave her no mercy. He arched his back to lock lips with her in a deep kiss, silencing her whiny moans for just that moment as he managed to dig deeper into her spot causing her body to inched more upwards towards the headboard. Cameron’s fingertips pressed into Seto’s hips tightly from the impact. Feeling her own inner thighs quivering. He broke the kiss first, gritting his teeth from the intense sensation that was wavering through his body. The petite brunette could only helplessly look up at him, having no choice but to ride out the pleasure with him.

“S-Seto!~” She whined out, drawing her arm up to cup his face to force his view back onto her.

“Right there, I-I want i-it~” She cooed to him softly, catching his lips into a kiss.

Her begging is what caused him to finally finish with a bang. A grunt escaped him, breaking the kiss once more as he buried his face into her neck momentarily with his hips twitching uncontrollably. Cameron felt him pulse inside her only causing her to melt from the warmth that soon filled up her most snug spot.

His weary body collapsed onto the mattress, rolling to the side of his wife easily breaking from her hold after the American woman’s arms dropped back into the sheets. Heavy panting was heard from the both of them as Seto took no time to pull her small back against his and gathered the ends of her hair onto his pillow, letting his fingers tangle around the ends to play with it. The exhaustion of the whole session had knock Cameron out, too drained to even open her eyes she laid there and rested. Only having enough energy to cuddle into his chest.

It was now mid-afternoon and 20-minutes had passed since the couple had fallen into a light sleep. To Cameron’s surprise, her husband was still by her side when she opened her eyes. She thought maybe for sure he would have snuck out back to his office to finish up work. But he was in fact still sleeping. His sudden attack of affection towards her when they got home from the cafe was a complete shock. It wasn’t like Seto to be this impulsive. He was very articulate about his motives. The CEO was not one to do things out of the blue, everything was premeditated. Or so she thought.

Another moment past as she laid there, cheek still pressed against his cheek with drowsy eyes. She stroked at his back using her fingertips and perked her head up when she felt him stir. Those cold blue eyes were staring down at her, as unreadable as ever when he leaned down to kiss her.

“Hello,” She mused, kissing back as she dragged her hand up to his upper back.

He didn’t respond, only settling his chin back onto her small shoulder and closed his eyes. Continuing to keep a tight grip on her.

A frowned curved her lips, hand finding the back of his neck now as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Seto, are you alright?” She asked quietly.

He paused, enjoying his resting and finally answered. “Don’t start Cameron,” He barely grumbled loud enough.

The comment made her brows fluster against, pulling away slightly just to have him face her again. “Seto, something is wrong. You never pounce on me like that,” She bit her lip not wanting to finish her thought knowing the fire she’d ignite.

Disgust was clear on his face. “I guess I can’t make love to my wife without being suspicious? Are you being serious right now Cameron?” He slipped away from her and sat up to brush his messy fridge out of his face and closed his eyes.

Cameron slowly sat up next to him, bringing the top of the sheet over her.

“It’s unusual Seto. And you know it. We just had sex this morning. And you weren’t as methodical as you normally are. You seemed disconnected somehow this time. Is it the Atem issue again? Are you hurt from me asking if you were in love with the Pharaoh?” She finally spat out, no longer caring of the backlash she’d get.

He snapped his neck away from her, twisting a piece of his hair around his finger as he thought. “If this is your way of pillow talk. I'd prefer it not to involve that fool. Thank you.”

With that being said he turned back to gaze back to her with judgemental eyes. Not being able to control his mouth. “Do you happen to feel jealousy? Insecure perhaps with your diluted mind of making up idiotic notions that aren’t true? Is that why you’re saying such things? Because you feel insecure?”

Cameron’s stare on him dimmed with indifference. “I don’t feel insecure. Even if you were in love with Atem it doesn’t matter anymore because he’s dead. Don’t try to turn this on me. Is that why you ravished me like that just now? You wanted to prove a point so I didn’t think you were in love with your formal rival?”

Seto rested his arms down into his lap, staring absentmindedly around the room. Displeasure was still settled on his face. Not knowing what was really going on in that mind of his Cameron could only guess that she may be right and her husband was searching for the right words to answer with.

“I didn’t love that idiot pharaoh. Is it wrong that I crave my own wife? And your talk of wanting a child you’d think you’d be happy that I wanted you for myself. I don’t understand why you’d label me in love,” His voice kept his sternness but became quieter at the end, going back into deep thought.

The mention of a child was the only thing that lightened Cameron’s mood. Feeling appreciation that he took of her desires to account for once. “I am happy. I’m just concerned for you sometimes Seto. I’m just afraid that your own mind will eat you alive if you don’t express your true emotions sometimes,” She leaned back close to him, placing her hand onto his knee and rubbed at his leg.

Her touch made him flinched ever so slightly, bumping her hand away. “I don’t need this from you,” He scoffed, turning his body slightly away from her again.

She frowned. “If you can recall. I was in love before. And the breakdown you had last night reminded me a lot of how I felt about Norm,” She admitted, now wanting to go into great detail of how she had an episode in the shower not to long ago about him.

“Who?” He sneered, knowing damn well of the degenerate’s exists but not wanting to give any satisfaction.

“The drunk,” Cameron answered back in annoyance.

“The way you acted that night on your birthday was very similar to somebody who is yearning from a broken heart. And I only say that from experience,” Her eyes widened, watching Seto slip out from under the sheets and stand.

“I was never in love with the pharaoh. Alright? Stop comparing me to your appalling life in America. And you have a lot of nerve comparing Atem to a useless alcoholic,” He ran his fingers through his hair once more and turned away from his wife and headed into the bathroom.

“Oh, I’m sorry I compare your precious pharaoh to commoner with a drinking problem!” She shouted loud enough for him to hear. Only having him slam the bathroom door in anger. Aggressive enough for her to understand his displeasure.

The small brunette sighed, laying back down in bed and pulled the covers over her in defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shibuya Toast is legit a giant--almost loaf looking piece of thick bread that is normally soaked in butter and milk and topped with loads of sweet stuff. So basically, it's french toast on steroids. ;D
> 
> Omurice is a plain omelet that has a friend rice filling. The rice is normally mixed with ketchup and other ingredients. (depending on who's cooking I guess) It's actually a really popular dish. And is typically made at home.
> 
> Tatami tables are low to the floor. And a lot of the time you don't even sit on pillows.
> 
> I don't know about Western culture (Because we're not as modest) But I noticed in a lot of Asian programming (Yeah, I'm a weeb. COME AT ME!) When girls are wearing skirts or hot pants they cover their legs with a blanket or whatever. And the idea of a man taking off his blazer for a woman as a courtesy I think is very cute.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super short and I'm so sorry. This chapter actually could have easily been combined with the last chapter. But because how my brain works with ending scenes I tend to have short chapters. I'm also trying to update as much as possible before my trip that I'm sort of stressing over a lot now since I only have a few more weeks to prep. And sometimes it'd take me a week or so to update the story. And I still have so much I have to write out before I leave. 
> 
> After I'm done finishing my ideas for this story I wanted to branch over and made the second part with the same plot. Instead of having this damn fic 1000 pages long.

Cameron awoke groggily. Sleeping longer then she attended. It was already dark, early evening. Seto was of course out of sight. Most likely somewhere in the mansion sulking. It took her a few minutes to concentrate on the current situation. Squinting as she wobbled into her husband’s bathroom, still feeling the impact from his ruthless hips. After a shower and putting on a set of pajamas she headed downstairs. The smell of food was in the air, it was a hunch that Mokuba was probably home and had requested dinner. Which wasn’t an issue for the American woman as she wasn’t up for anything at the moment. Still feeling the heavy dreary effects of oversleeping. When entering the dining room it was just the younger Kaiba seated at the table with a large bowl of udon noodles and plate of pork cutlets in front of him. Cameron squinted.

“Where’s your brother?” She said, rubbing the back of her head as she untangled a knot in her long locks.

Mokuba held chopsticks between his fingers, slurping away at his noodles. “He’s in the bathroom. He’s trying to drain out his nose,” He told her, picking up the breaded piece of meat and waved it towards her.

Draining his nose was not a strange chore in the Kaiba household as Seto had expressed having terrible sinus infections. It was a trait of his that he didn’t like the public to know. It was none of their business and was a very private matter anyway. How sauve it was for the great Seto Kaiba to have cleansed his nose of mucus every so often.

“Come eat! I didn’t think you’d ever wake up!” He chomped down on the piece he had and set it back down on his plate as he picked up a smaller empty bowl and started pouring some of the broth and udon noodles into it.

Cameron shook her head. “No, thanks. How can you still be hungry after all that food we ate this afternoon?” She said, trying her hardest to walk straight without waddling as she took a seat down next to her brother-in-law.

Mokuba set the bowl in front of her anyway. “How can you not be? It was just a bit of egg and rice with a few strawberries,” He said, continuing to slurp down his noodles.

In silence, Seto trudged his way into the dining room with bloodshot eyes and swollen patches under his eyes. He looked absolutely miserable. Pieces of tissues were lodged in both nostrils as he pulled his chair out from the head of the table and plopped down, bowing his head down face first into his placemat.

Cameron looked at him in horror. “Jesus Christ Seto! You look--”

His wife stopped in mid-sentence as the cutthroat CEO lifted his arm up and stuck his index finger out as a warning.

“Don’t even say it!” He seethed, lifting up his head slightly just to get a glimpse of those petrifying eyes.

“I’m finished with both you. Listening to Yugi’s request about going to a cat cafe!” He scoffed with a dark chuckle.

“Listen, bro. I didn’t know you’d breakout this bad. We weren’t in there for a long time. I’m sorry. Can’t you take some medication?” Mokuba asked, gulping down water from a large metal mug.

“The cats did that? I didn’t know you were allergic to them. I’m sorry Seto. I wouldn’t have made you go,” She frowned, getting so discouraged by her husband’s behavior. Maybe facing Yugi wasn’t the reason for him avoiding the cafe in the first place. And all of what she said to him was from her own insecurities.

“I did take the medication. And save it, Cameron! You’re nothing more than a headache,” He finally sat up straight and rubbing his temples with eyes closed tight.

The short brunette glared at the insult. “You’re an only headache here Seto. Did you even open the gift Yugi gave you? Or were you too busy sulking all day when you got back home?” She snapped back, softening her stare once she caught eyes with Mokuba.

“I guess the mellow mood between you guys doesn’t last long, huh?” The younger Kaiba let out a loud sigh, leaning back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head and cracked his neck.

Seto ignored his brother’s comment. Only toning down the harshness of his tone when he answered back. “How am I supposed to open my gift when you have it?” He asked, dully.

“Oh, I’m sorry prince charming let me get it for you,” Cameron said just as slickly, standing up from her seat and slowly waddling out of the room to fetch her purse where she dropped it in the living room right when her lusty husband lunged on her.

Mokuba watched her leave with a puzzled expression. “What happened to Cam?” He asked, straightening his back again.

“I made her exercise with me when we go home. 400 squats with the kettlebell,” He lied cooly, picking up a glass of water and sipped it as he watched on with his brother. Feeling a tinge of pride.

“400! Seto, you’ll kill the girl!” Mokuba hollered out with a chuckle.

When her small frame reappeared in the doorway she walked up the end of the table on the opposite side of her husband and tossed the flat wrapped item across to him. It only caused Seto to stare at her blankly.

“How are your legs?” He asked, coldly. Just to get a rise out of her as he picked up his gift.

The question made her face flush red. “Oh, go fuck yourself!” She shouted, plopping back down next to Mokuba.

The younger Kaiba wrapped an arm around and pulled her close to his side for a cuddle. “Don’t worry Cam. The kettlebell with tone your inner thighs good! Not to mention the rest of your body!” He grinned into her hair.

She said nothing, catching on to the fib that Seto had told as she crossed her arms.

It took but only a second for the older Kaiba to tear the wrapping paper off. Staring down at it with hard eyes after a torn piece was gone. His face didn’t look pleased. There a hint of grief remote on his expression. Whatever caught his stare caused him to rip the rest of the childish paper off and threw it aside next to Mokuba’s dirty dishes. The gift seemed to be a picture frame. With Seto holding it tightly with both hands, using a finger to run his finger against the glass of it. His eyes had that hollow look. That worrying void state Cameron had witnessed once before. Whatever it was must have really struck deeply with Seto.

“Bro, what is it?” Mokuba asked with a frown, scooting over to oversee the view his brother's head. The younger Kaiba’s eyes widened with mouth gaping open.

“No, way. No, way!” He exclaimed, slipping the frame out of Seto’s grip with ease.

The commotion had finally peaked Cameron curiosity enough to finally join them. “What it is?” She asked, looking over Mokuba’s shoulder.

It was a photo of two young girls dressed in the traditional Japanese school uniforms. Posing in a courtyard of a school with the track field visible in the background. Both girls were smiling big with the one on the left flashing the peace sign. Both looked similar enough to tell that they were sisters with both having dark eyes. Though, one sister’s hair was a deeper chestnut shade of brown and had very high cheekbones much like Seto’s. She was also taller, with long slim legs that put her knee socks to shame. Towering over her sister in the picture who was a bit shorter and had maroon colored hair.

Cameron took a long while to say a word even after realizing it. “These women are very pretty. Especially the brunette with the legs for days,” She managed out.

“That’s our mom,” Mokuba spoke softly, keeping his eyes glued to the photo.

“Oh? And who’s the other girl? Her friend?” Cameron tried feeling the situation out with ease, not wanting to pry too much. Knowing how tender this situation was.

“Yugi’s mom. His mom and our mom were sisters,” Mokuba explained quietly.

Cameron’s face lit up in shock. Her brain couldn’t grasp the fact that Seto was so distant and never once mentioned that his former rival was his first cousin. It was a struggle to even convince him to refer to Yugi as his friend most days and finding out that The King of Games was his family member baffled her to no end.

“You mean that Yugi is apart of our family?” She asked, eyes scanning back over to her husband at the head of the table.

He kept his head bowed and hands crossed in front of his face. The tissues that were plugging his leaky nose have been pulled out a while ago. The event of all this must have been too overwhelming that the steely-eyed CEO abruptly pushed his chair out with scratching of the wooden legs dragging against the polished floor. He stood, turning away from them without a word and walked out briskly.

The lady of the house waited for her husband to be completely out of sight before speaking. “Why did he just leave like that?” She asked, folding her hands in her lap neatly.

Mokuba’s gaze was still on the face of the younger version of his mother. He slowly perked his head and looked straight in the direction of the doorway that led out of the dining room.

“Seto feels a lot of guilt,” He whispered.

\--

The rest of the night was spent with Cameron and Mokuba. With the younger Kaiba gladly answering whatever questions his sister-in-law had to ask him. She had found out that their mother died during the birth of Mokuba and their father died tragically a few years later while being involved in work-related accident. Their father was a railroad worker who made a good amount of money. Seto had wondered if their father’s death was an actual accident or if the grief of losing his wife was too much for him to handle. Their mother worked at a pre-school. She worked beside the children and helped them clean up and also prepared meals. Mokuba obviously never met his mother but Seto had always told him that she was a kind-hearted woman who loved him no matter what. And that it also wasn’t his fault for her leaving the earth so soon.

The explanation to all this was actually heart-wrenching to the American woman. But the outcome of how Mokuba turned out to be such a courageous and confident young man with a big heart was only to show how brilliant his older brother’s teachings were. The only downside to this was that whatever innocence and tenderness Seto held was put into his younger brother. Which made the little feisty booger grow into a successful man. In many ways, Cameron could relate to this as she was raised by her brother Robert at some point in her life. Along with also showing guidance as an older sister to her younger siblings. It was still heartwarming nonetheless.

Also according to Mokuba was that the brothers didn’t know Yugi was their cousin beforehand. It was Atem that told the older Kaiba that they were related because in their past life Seto was known as Priest and was in love with a woman that was the spirit of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. This is where the conversion was getting too far out for the short brunette. Causing her to excuse herself from the game room where she and Mokuba decided to hide in.

The Kaiba brothers and their friends were so bizarre with their talk of spirits and reincarnation. I was understandable to see the rigid Seto be so overwhelmed by all of it. And to think the idea of Seto being in love with the pharaoh was a far-out thing to believe. It was more of a mind boggle that her husband was in love with a dragon in his past life. Perhaps, that was the reason why he was obsessed with the creature. That was the least of her worries right now though.

Half past 10 pm is when Cameron decided to approach Seto’s office. She knocked on the door quietly, waiting a moment and got no answer. With hesitation, she twisted the doorknob and found it to be locked. The small brunette stood there frozen, afraid of the uncertain reaction she’d get. Maybe it was best to take Mokuba’s lead and let the brooding Kaiba alone. Though, letting him stay isolated was giving into his comfort zone. This is what troubled millionaire did when he was upset. He his himself away. He felt most at ease in his comfort zone but there’s no way to grow there.

With a silent deep breath, she knocked again, this time resting her ear to the wooden door. “Seto? I’d like for you to come to bed with me please,” She squeaked out.

Cameron was only greeted with more stillness. She kept her ear to the door as a poor attempt to observe what was going on at the other end. Another minute past as the American woman stayed glued to the door. The door swung open with a gust making Cameron stumble into her husband. She caught a glimpse of his critical eyes.

“O-oh! There you are!” She quickly stood up straight, keeping her stare locked with his.

“Don’t bother waiting for me. Just go to sleep. You’re still welcome to stay in my bed if you like,” He said, pushing his glasses back to the bridge of his nose.

Once his wife opened her mouth to speak Seto cut her off right away.

“And I don’t want to play therapist with you tonight. I already told Mokuba to keep that photo. It’s more suitable for him anyway.”

Cameron pressed her lips together in thought. “Why is it more suitable for him than you? Wasn’t your mother a good a lovable one? You must have an attachment to her. After all, she did take care of yo--”

“Attachments only get you hurt. I don’t need a photo to remember her. I have my own memories!” He snapped at her.

Cameron’s eyes harden at his face. “Oh, come on Seto! You have Mokuba’s photo as the password to your dumb lab for Christ sake!” She answered back just as fast.

“That’s because Mokuba’s an important reminder of who I actually am,” He told her matter-a-fact.

The comeback caught the American woman off guard not expecting her husband to admit such a thing. “And who are you not Seto?” She tilted her head, starting to sway lightly from nervousness.

“Kaiba. I’m more than this name. I’m more than a successful company. I still have a bad reputation because of that dead bastard,” He growled lowly, running his hand against the back of his neck.

Cameron nodded, pausing again before speaking. “I’m really proud of you, Seto. How come you never told me Yugi was your cousin?” She asked, softer this time.

“It’s not important. Do you know what a field day the press would have if they knew Mutou was related to me? We would be harassed for years!” He outright ignored her compliment and dropped his arm down, grabbing a tight hold of the doorknob.

This conversation was all starting to make a bit more sense now. Fearing that Seto would be belligerent with her. He was acting quite the opposite. It may be because of the context of it all. The family was a concept for Seto to grasp. Only having his younger brother being the only trusted one. Yugi had proven himself worthy years ago and it made it better for the older Kaiba when discovering that the gentle rebel was connected to his normal life. Cameron had now gained some trust. Which she was honored to have. If this was a few months ago her husband just would have slammed the door in her face and called it a night.

“I’d like for us to acknowledge Yugi as our family--We don’t have to announce it publically but It’d be nice for the baby to know that they have another uncle besides Mokuba. Don’t you agree?” She bit her lip, studying the hard look her husband was giving off.

“Fine. Mokuba does anyway,” He answered curtly.

Her face lit up in joy, hopping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. He patted her back, bending down slightly to kiss back.

“You’ll be a good father, Seto,” She whispered to him, trying to steal another kiss from him.

He purposely stood up straight again, sliding his hand up her back and patted the back of her head lovingly. “Don’t try to tempt me. It won’t work. You already got your fill twice today. Go to bed,” He told her sternly before releasing his grip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried using headcanons for Seto's parents. And there's a Seto Kaiba wiki that has its canon that his mom died while giving birth to Mokuba. I don't know how true that is but I guess us fans sort of made it canon. It's sort of weird because halfway through I didn't realize how similar my idea of the photo was to Scartletbell's plot (Spoiler for her fic if you're reading) But in her story, Laura gives Seto a picture of him and Mokuba for his birthday. And then later in the plot, Yugi ends up showing a photo to Seto of both their moms together. Bell's interpretation of the mom is that she was basically a female version of Seto. (Which is super pretty) But I wanted the mom to look a bit more like Yugi's mom. Who also has purple eyes. (Mokuba also has purple eyes)
> 
> While writing this all I can think about is this comic: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/799037158863290673/


	46. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Honestly, I feel like this is a cheap shot for me to do but I really wanted to show some acknowledgment to you guys some of way or another. And feel a bit guilty for not having enough inspiration right now to express my ideas through text for the fic at the moment since the stress of traveling is consuming me. It will be my first time away from home and the longest time not being close to any of my family members. So, forgive me for the lack of will-power. I enjoy talking to my readers. You’re so unbelievably sweet to me! And after thinking about it one night I realized that the tone of my story reflects on what kind of people my writing appeals too. And that’s pretty cool to think about. My writing tends to be melodramatic. But it always tends to have a light-hearted comedic side to the balance a heavy scene sometimes. I like when characters have a heart to them. I also tend to like ‘edgy’ or um--melancholy? Tone to my stories. 

I think I might have hinted at this before but I actually got back into the Yugioh fandom after getting over a devastating 7-year-old relationship that was confusing and emotionally draining. I started writing this fic when I was over the hurdle of the struggle I was going through to grow as a person. And finding my new found freedom (at the time) I dove back into some of the fandoms I used to enjoy as a kid. And maybe in a corny way, I can relate to Seto Kaiba on many, many levels. That’s why I like him. My portrayal of the snob is debatable at best. But you guys seem to like it too! So it makes me happy! Cam was a character I created in 4th grade. She was made for the Yu Yu Hakusho universe. She was supposed to be Hiei’s younger sister, besides Yukia. (LOL!) And I picked ‘Cameron’ for her name so her nickname could have been ‘Camouflage.’ Yeah, I know it’s cheesy but I thought it was the coolest sh*t ever! She was also a wolf demon. Hence the gold eyes. In her normal plot her eyes are hazel. But sense this is anime logic I went back to gold eyes for the sake of the plot. 

Cam is also based on multiple people. Her height is based off my middle sister who is pretty small. Her birthday is November 10th which is my grandmother’s birthday. And her profession is based off my oldest sister. Who is a nurse. But, I also got the nurse idea from Cam’s original husband Kano who told her she should have become a nurse. (Cam never finished school in any of her plots because she was always somebody’s mom) Plus, her arch type is a nurturer. So being a nurse suited her well. The characters and pass plot for Cam are things that happened in ancient role-plays from when I was a young teenager. And for some reason Cam’s age in plots (besides this one) she’s always typically middle aged. Like, in her late 30s. And I’m not sure why? 

Alright! Enough about my dumb OC what about the guy you all came here for, right? Seto Kaiba! In order to make a complex, likable character you must base them off of several people. And my Kaiba is definitely inspired by a mash of individuals. I like caring Kaiba. (if you couldn’t tell!) Because the trope that is around in this fandom (Despite a few) Is the good ole lazy route of having a selfish and cynical Kaiba. You know what I’m talking about. That character that’s not really deep and has no real change throughout the plot. I hate that sh*t, man! If you’re going to portray a ruthless Kaiba you have to make him have some sort of growth or reasoning behind it. The excuse of just having Kaiba literally be “fifty shades of grey” KILLS ME. Legit. Seto Kaiba is a big ass nerd that owns the equivalent of what Disneyland is. He’s not as rigid as he seems. He’s deeper than that. That’s why Kaiba is one of the most popular characters. He’s well developed. There’s like--four different versions of this guy! Us writers can do so much with him! I wanna see more than just Kaiba f*cking a ton of women! (RAGE QUIT)

At first, I wanted Hyori to be the main lead for Kaiba but it didn’t work out because I literally just made her up on the spot. The Korean girl was definitely too light-hearted for the CEO anyway while I know Cam well enough for her to interact with such a stiff, sarcastic character like Seto. It was easy. Hyori seemed to fit Mokuba so well. And honestly, Mokuba might be my favorite Kaiba brother. I know for a fact that my portrayal of him is dead-ass wrong. Because it seems to me that Mokuba’s canon form takes more of a ‘Gee Willikers! Boy Wonder!’ approach. The Kaiba brothers totally do remind me of Bruce Wayne and Robin. (Mokuba strikes me as Tim Drake) Yeah, I’m also a big Batman nerd too. I can picture Kaiba liking Batman too, mainly from Eric Stuart making references to it. I take elements of my male characters and obviously some old head-canons of Mokuba being rebellious. Remember those? When Mokuba was a little punk. Before DSOD was even thought of and revamped Mokuba into a Hardy Boy. (I still love that kid regardless OMFG) I definitely want to write Hyori and Gabe in their own plot with Shining Knight. To possibly vent on some of that juicy k-pop scandal drama stuff that goes on. (I’m a multifandom kinda girl! ;) ) 

Yugi is literally based on himself. I love how passive aggressive he is. He will literally throw shade at people with a smile on his say with sugar pouring out of his mouth. But, also taking inspiration from DSOD he also takes no sh*t from nobody and can get a little mouthy. But in a classy way! I’ve mention where I got inspired by Joey before. So I won’t go into too much detail there. He is very fun to write though. It’s weird with Malik and Ryou because I feel the most comfortable writing as them. I think it’s because I know those people. The foreign loner and the quiet D&D nerd. I wanted friendship to be a heavy theme in my plot because not only if it a focal point in the real Yugioh universe but from my growth, I went through the past few years it’s true when you get older that your friends do become your family. Sometimes when you’re not accepted by your blood relatives there’s always that handful of friends who do love you and understand the way some people can’t. And that’s really important to recognize. And I hope I show that well enough in my writing.

That’s why I love Scarletbell’s story so much. Her female lead, Lara was a woman who was strong and courageous. I was so sick of that trope of Kaiba f*cking scared helpless virgins. One, I’m not here for that. And two, I’m not down for Kaiba being overly condescending. And if he is I was tired of having the female role just letting him walk all over her. I love badass women, even if they’re soft. Having enough confidence to know what you deserve is very appealing. This is just what I like. (So sorry for the saltiness. I like being open with you guys!) So, I gained enough interest to write this fic. Where Cam is weak in many ways but also strong in other elements. She’s not perfect. She’s a street-smart kid that was taught proper etiquette. There’s also a conflict with who she really is. A posh French girl or a scrappy street rat. It’s a concept I rather like. A mix of both worlds. It makes her more complex I think. 

Anyway! Let me end this before I bore you guys to death! I thought making an author’s note page would be a fun idea. To leave with you some acknowledgment before I disappear for a while. I know exactly what I want to end within the story--at least for this segment. It’s no surprise that Cam is going to end up pregnant. (She’s a mother character, Duh!) But there’s going to be a dramatic surprise that will change the feel-good mood that’s been present lately. I’ve been itching to start writing again so I convey what I’m waiting to do! I just need the time and space to concentrate on it. And as of right now, it’s not going to happen. I apologize! I feel very thankful to have other people connect to the emotions that are created through the scenes. That writing can really bring people together in some way or another. 

Thank you for patience guys! Hope to see you guys soon! 

Jess xo 

**Dedicated to the readers that might be struggling that one day you find happiness!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I'm alive! Coming back at you with a short as f*ck chapter! And I'm sorry I took so long! I wanted to update for you guys because you've been so caring and patient with me. Thank you so much! You're the best!
> 
> Life is changing for me. And I'm trying to catch up! I actually started this chapter before I left for my vacation. (Which was wonderful by the way. I didn't want it to end OMFG) Malik talking to his stray cat in Arabic warms my heart. It's also quite eerie to me that after spending so much time alone with my darling. My Seto has a lot of my love's qualities. Is that bad? I don't care. 
> 
> I'll try to update soon guys! Love you! xo
> 
> \- Jess <3

A few weeks past with Yugi’s party coming very close only being only a couple of days away. Cameron had found herself at the King of Games apartment. Sitting on the floor with a blanket spread out sitting criss-cross next to Malik who was helping her put together little baggies of party favors which included a booster pack of Duel Monster cards and a handful of themed candy shaped like well-liked characters like Dark Magician Girl. Ryou was bent over the card table with an array of different colored paints as he wrote _‘Congratulations!’_ on a long, large piece of banner paper. Using a couple of heavy books and game board boxes to keep the ends from curling up on the floor.

“How’d the hell we end up the party committee?” Malik scoffed, twisting the silver bands around the party favors soppily before tossing it in the pile of the finished ones.

“Because we're Yugi’s friends and so he doesn’t have to spend a whole bunch of money we’re helping him out,” Cameron answered dully, snatching the messy looking baggies up and fixed them.

“Don’t complain so much. Anzu will be here shortly to help,” Ryou answered, voice muffled a bit from looking downwards as he painted neatly.

“Really?” Malik raised a brow.

“I guess you and her are gonna have a catfight, Cam,” He smirked at the small woman across from him.

“What? Why in the world would I fight with Anzu? I don’t even know the girl,” She frowned, giving Malik the stink eye.

“Because when you first started coming around here there were quite a few pictures of you and Yugi together. You think a girlfriend across the globe would like that?” He answered back snidely, reaching over to pinch her cheek just to annoy her.

She slapped his hand away and leaned back. “And nobody bothered to explain that I’m a married woman?”

“I think it was before it was explained to her,” Ryou butted in calmly as he very gingerly picked up one side of the banner and turned his head in the direction of Mailk.

“Can you please lend me a hand with the banner so I can let it dry outside?” The flower boy asked gently, lifting one part of the banner up high and lifting his foot high so he didn’t step on the paper.

Without a word and keen eyes, Malik stood up and did as he was asked to strategically help carry the banner across the room and out the front door so it didn’t wrinkle. Ryou carried a couple of heavy books in his hands out with them as they hung the banner over the banister railing of the porch. Cameron stayed put, finishing the task of filling the party favors and got up once all of them are tied. She couldn’t help but find interest in the goings on outside after Ryou mentioned the appearance of a guest.

“Malik, your friend came to pay you a visit,” The slender male smiled gently down at the scruffy looking feline that tip-toed it’s way up the porch steps.

The Arabic greeted the jet black cat with open arms, crouching down to its level. It was a scrawny thing. Petite in structure. And very pretty with stunning bright green eyes. The creature strutted it’s way into Malik’s arm, rubbing against him in affection. A long pointed tooth stuck out from its mouth as it purred.

“Hello Habibi!~” He cooed to the cat, kissing its head and started to stroke the silky fur of its back.

Cameron watched casually with Ryou, crossing her arms with a smile as she watched the always seemingly brooding blond show such love to his unofficial pet as he spoke to it sweetly in Arabic.

“Does he talk to you so lovingly like that in his native tongue?” The American woman asked in jest.

Ryou shrugged, resting his back against the banister with crossed arms as well.

“Sometimes,” He kept a pleasant demeanor.

“Cats were treated like royalty in Egypt, right? Are they still held in such regard?” She asked, glancing over at Malik who still was cradling his feline friend.

The ends of his blond hair brushed to the back of his shoulders when he perked his head up at the foreign woman.

“Not, like back in ancient times. But there was a few that would still appear in the tombs underground that we took care of sometimes,” He explained, looking back down at the cat who pawed under his chin when he stopped scratching behind its ear.

Malik grinned, cooing to it back in Arabic. “Isn’t that right Habibi? You are a goddess in the pharaohs eyes!~” He leaned down to kiss her head.

By this time Ryou walked over and crouched down with his sweetheart and cat, giving the graceful creature a few pets as well. Thankfully for Cameron, her phone buzzed as she started feeling out of place as the third wheel. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check her message to see that it was a reminder to visit her husband at work.

“I have to go guys. I have a few errands to run,” She awkwardly stepped to the side when she caught Malik cup Ryou’s face with both hands.

“My gorgeous Ryou~” He stared directly into his partner’s eyes fondly with a smirk making the other man pull his face away quickly with a blush.

“Malik please, not in front of company,” He looked down, touching his face where the tan hands of the other’s hand were placed on him as he looked up at Cameron.

“Okay Cam, see you soon!” Ryou gave a wave with his free hand, giving the cat’s tail a stroke as she started to run against him affectionately now.

\--

The small brunette headed out to a grocery store to pick up a few snacks before heading over to Kaiba Corp. When arriving at the top floor where Seto’s office as she was greeted by his miserable looking expression.

“Geez, your face still is puffy. Those cats did a number on you didn’t they?” She said, setting the convenience store bag down and slipping off her peacoat and draping it over the back of one of the spare chairs in the office.

Seto kept his face directed at his computer screen with a scowl, eyes red and drooped. Looking noticeably tired.

“It’s not that. It’s more of spending three days with little sleep trying to finish figuring out this damn design coding and taking as much from the old prototype and upgrading it to the new one,” He practically grumbled under his breath before forcefully pushing back away from his desk and stood up from his chair and joined her on the couch.

His blue eyes looked down at the convenience store spread she brought over. “What’s this? You didn't cook anything this time?” He asked, picking up a premade wrapped sandwich that looked like egg salad.

“No, sadly I didn’t have time. I was helping Ryou and Malik prepare for Yugi’s party,” She answered, picking a little container of rice noodles in broth.

“Who?” He asked snidely, declining her offer and took a bite of sandwich instead.

“Yugi’s friends,” Cameron answered, sounding a little put out as she offered him a piece of vegetable.

“Oh,” He grumbled, finishing the sandwich quite quickly before wiping his hands with a napkin nearby and slowly stood up as he headed back towards his desk.

The small brunette frowned, watching her husband. “Come back, Seto. Relax for a few minutes at least. I’ll leave you alone soon,” She said, patting the now empty space where he sat.

The miserable CEO kept his back turned to her, only glancing behind him slightly to catch a glimpse of his wife looking over at him worrisome. Without a word he shrugged his blazer off his shoulders and hung it over the back of his chair and strode back over to the couch and laid down on the cushions, laying his head down into his wife’s lap as he curled his legs up onto the couch slightly as an attempt to keep his feet from hanging off the couch. Cameron blinked in surprise as she glanced down at her husband's exhausted face with her body stiffening to his sudden action.

“Seto, are you okay?” She asked in surprise, reaching her hand down to comb her fingers through his hair slowly.

He slowly turned onto his side, nuzzling his cheek into the tights that shielded her thighs. “I’m relaxing for a few minutes,” He grumbled quietly, letting his heavy eyelids close.

A soft smile grew on the American’s woman face as she continued to run her fingers through his silky brunette locks. He dragged an arm up to rest a hand on her leg. Letting his hand grip onto her knee and absentmindedly started using his fingertips to feel the outline of her thigh through the sheer fabric of the tights. His steely eyes slowly shifted up to look at her face with a sort of half smirk. It struck Cameron attractive. Anytime her cold husband showed any warmth was a complete turn on for her. It meant he was comfortable with her and that honestly made her happy. Without her knowledge, she smiled back at Seto’s calm gaze. Their moment of intimacy was only interrupted by the office door swinging open. Causing the CEO’s tall frame to shoot up from the lying position he was on the couch. His glare bore straight at the figure of Mokuba standing in the threshold as the younger Kaiba stepped in completely while shutting the door.

“Whoa, sorry. I didn’t know you were having a moment. I’ll leave,” He said, raising a hand up to gesture towards the door. A hand was tucked into his pant’s pocket.

“No, it’s fine. You forgot how to knock?” The older Kaiba sneered softly, rubbing his tired face.

“Nope,” Mokuba answered, plopping down next to Cameron. Sharing a snarky grin with his sister-in-law who had more of a coy expression as her eyes cast down slightly with his weight shifting the cushions.

“Is there a reason for your presence?” Seto asked dryly, closing his eyes tightly again as his hand rested against his wife’s knee. Giving it a loving squeeze.

She kept the smile, leaning into the younger Kaiba and wrapped her arms around his waist to hug against his bulky frame.

“Be nice! He can come to visit if he wants!” Cameron teased, nuzzling her cheek into Mokuba’s dress shirt.

“Ha! See Seto! Cam is on my side!” He cackled, hugging her back tightly.

The older Kaiba kept a dull stare. “The two of you are so insufferable,” He shook his head in disbelief before standing up from the couch and started walking back to his desk.

“Aw, come on bro! Don’t sulk! I wanted to see if you wanted to join us for lunch with Yugi,” Mokuba’s lips twitched in the corner of his mouth as he saw the stern look in his brother’s eyes target him.

“It’s not a cat cafe. Don’t sweat it!” He continued, taking notice of Seto’s puffy face.

“I’ll have to pass. There are more important things to tend to,” He said, back to being seated at his desk with his eyes scrolling his computer screen. For just a moment his cruel gaze caught Cameron’s as a subtle reminder of her own chores.

A frown curved on the small woman’s mouth, eyes shooting up at Mokuba who held his hand out to her.

“Are you sure Seto? Anzu just flew back into the town,” He tried persuading the older Kaiba, knowing very well he’d fail.

“Why would I have any desire to see her?” He snorted from afar.

Mokuba shrugged, pulling Cameron up onto her feet once she placed her hand in his.

“Because she’s most likely going to be Mrs.Mutou within a year or so,” He kept his casual tone.

The mention of marriage spark high interest in Cameron. “You mean they are engaged?” She smiled brightly at the thought.

“Not yet. But Yugi has mentioned it before. If he’s willing to move to America,” Mokuba explained, perking his head up once Seto interjected.

“I’m afraid I’ll still have to pass,” His tone was rough, aggressively clicking his mouse as he worked.

“Alright, suit yourself,” His younger brother answered, unbothered. Smiling down at Cameron as they walked towards the door.

The American woman turned around as Mokuba stepped out. Holding onto the frame of the doorway she looked over her shoulder at her husband hunched over his desk.

“You are coming to Yugi’s party aren’t you?” She asked, waiting for a moment before she received an answer from him.

“What for?” Was his cocky response.

The arrogance flared up his wife’s temper. “You’re a real asshole Seto Kaiba!” She yelled out loud enough for his staff to hear before slamming the doors shut behind her.

**Author's Note:**

> I also wanted to thank Scarletbelle87 for even encouraging me to revisit this plot. I've been having a lot of fun writing this. She has been a really helpful fanfic buddy!


End file.
